Family
by Kuti
Summary: Ever since she could remember, no matter where he was or how late he was, he was always by her side. Will a dream stop him from supporting her from the very desire she wanted for so long? Will they go through this hurdle together? AC/Cloti *Summary edited
1. Chapter 1: No Messages

**Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children**

**[o][o][o][o][o][o]**

_**Chapter 1:**_

_**No messages**_

**[o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o]**

_He was breathing hard as he ran down the white, empty hallway. The sounds of the normally bustling hospital did not surround his ear. The soundless hallways only served to make his anxiety grow. He could feel his breathing growing rapidly. He could feel his heart's palpitations beating against his chest. His senses were keener than before._

_His mind was focused on one thing as his eyes inspected the passing doorways. He looked into every door as if he was looking for someone. His eyes were wild with panic and frustration, even though his lips and every facial muscle on his face remained stoic. No one was there to stop him from running. No one was there to ask him what was wrong. No one was there to relieve his anxiety and tell him that everything was okay. It was as if everyone completely abandoned this place from some kind of terrible, incurable disease. _

_His eyes widened in recognition as he immediately stopped in front of a peach, wooden door. This particular door was the only thing that stood out from the rest of the hospital setting. Slowly, he reached for the door knob turned it. He cringed at the sound of the door squeaking. When he fully opened the door, a doctor with his trademark white lab coat and stethoscope around his neck, was there, standing in front of a hospital bed. He couldn't see who was lying on the bed from the doctor's back. But, he was able to see the lower part of the person's body and the hands that were intertwined on top of the stomach. _

_Slowly, the doctor turned to him, his eyes hidden behind a pair of gray, thin-framed, circle glasses. He pushed the glasses to the bridge of his nose, concealing the emotions from his eyes. The doctor's face seemed void of emotion. Yet his mouth was in a tight grip. Right then, he knew the doctor's real feelings. Slowly, his eyes went to the occupant of the bed to see familiar feminine hands he knew so well. His heart suddenly dropped. _

"_No…" he began shakily as he felt his knees suddenly turn into jelly. _

_The doctor shook his head grimly, bowing his sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save her…"_

**[o][o][o]**

His glowing, blue eyes opened immediately to the sight of the clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day, with no clouds in the sky. He looked around his surroundings to find himself lying under a big, shady tree in a beautiful grassy plain. He didn't even take a second glance at the beautiful scenery as he stood up and ran to his motorcycle. He went over to a black, sleek flip cell phone that was hanging off his handle bars. He immediately flipped the cell phone open and pressed a button.

"_You have no messages…"_

A worried frown passed through his face after he listened to the automatic voice as if he was expecting someone else. Shaking his head, he began pressing buttons on his cell phone until his contact list appeared on the screen. He scanned through the array of names until it highlighted "Home." He pushed send and brought the phone to his right ear. He could hear the other side ringing a couple of times. Soon, it picked up.

"Hello…"

His face lightened at the sound of the feminine voice and began to open his mouth.

"You've reached Strife Delivery Service. Currently, we are attending other customers. Please leave a message with your name and address. We will call you back as soon as we can. Have a good day…" The beep soon came after the message, but he simply shut his phone. Placing his cell phone into his pocket, he pulled a leg over his bike and scooted in a comfortable position. He placed his hands on the handlebars fervently as he kicked it to life. With one revving sound from his bike, he drove off, one thought in mind.

_"Tifa…"_

**[o][o][o]**

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Welcome to the first chapter. Although, it was not much, I hope you like this beginning. Sorry about the corny title too. I have no ideas for this chapter. This story was supposed to be a one shot, but it turned out pretty long. So, I decided to split it into multiple chapters. It is a short story. The theme of the story, you'll find out eventually. I decided to put this up for now. I'm on my little break from studying. School is such a drag right now. I have so many things to accomplish, like projects, case studies, studying, and so forth. But, once everything is done, I'll update. I already finished the story. It's been on my laptop for quite some time but I never had the chance to put it up on . So, expect an update…probably on Spring break or next week, depending if I'm busy or not. For more information on this fic, please refer to my profile. Thank you for reading, please review, and I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Edit: Did some changes with the last paragraph due to grammatical errors. Thank you _Cedarville _for pointing it out! ^_^ **

Disclaimer: For the following chapters of this story, I do not own any of the characters or settings. They rightfully belong the Square Enix. This story is only a fanfic.


	2. Chapter 2: Circumstances

**Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children: Family**

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm back from my stressful Winter quarter of college. I'm definitely in due for a break. I'm going to enjoy my spring break while I can before going back to school in one week. I heard next quarter will be a very challenging quarter with my major. Oh well, I'll stay strong and continue forward. I apologize for the cliché title. Though the title is cliché, I named this story that title for a reason. You'll find out as you read along. Please read the 2nd Author's note after you read this. **Please be advised: **circumstances like what I will describe in this story** is ****DIFFERENT** for everyone. Why? You'll see. I can't give it away you know. Happy reading everyone! ^_^

* * *

"_Doctor…"_

_"If only….if only…" it was all the doctor could say like a broken record. _

"_Maybe we could of prevented her death…if…but…"_

_The doctor's figure started to blur as he stepped back, feeling suddenly dizzy. He was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, ranging from shock to sorrow. He didn't know how to react. He didn't know what to do. All he could do was look passed the doctor's solemn look to the person the on bed, with the delicate hands clasped lightly above her stomach._

_"Why?" He knew very well of those delicate hands. They were the hands that cooked meals that made one's taste buds go numb. They were the hands that would delicately stich back a ripped whole on a favorite blanket. They were the hands he held in his, soft, warm, and gentle, just like her personality. However, behind their delicacy was a strength that no one knew._

_He couldn't stop thinking about her. With such a thought in his mind, he couldn't hold it in much longer. He whirled around and slammed his fists onto a nearby wall. _

"_**WHY?!?!**__"_

**[o][o][o][o][o][o]**

_**Chapter 2:**_

_**Circumstances…**_

**[o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o]**

Tifa suddenly felt dizzy after she gave her customers a tray of her specially made alcoholic beverage. Slowly, she leaned against the counter, placing a hand over her forehead. A frown creased her normally cheerful face. "_What is this feeling?"_

"Tifa!" a little girl's voice called. Tifa dismissed her dizziness with a shake of her head. She turned to the little girl as she carefully kneeled to her small level, a bright smile appearing on her lips.

"Anything wrong, Marlene?" she asked.

"I got more orders," Marlene said as she scanned the list of orders she had on several pieces of paper. She looked at one before quickly grabbing another. The orders were scattered everywhere. "I also got orders for some tea, soda, juice, water, and today's special." Before she could go further into her orders, she accidentally dropped the tray and the orders scattered on the floor.

"Opps…" Marlene exclaimed, admonishing her clumsiness.

"Don't worry about it, Marlene," Tifa said with a smile as she easily grabbed the scattered orders and placed them neatly in one small pile. She looked through them. "Okay... can you at least get the appetizers and pass it to these tables? I still need to do some drinks over here."

"Right!" Marlene said. Tifa smiled as she watched Marlene scamper to the kitchen.

"Tifa!" Another tiny, slightly deeper voice called before Tifa could go back to work. She turned to the voice to see a 10 year old boy trying to sit himself on one of the empty bar stools. He blew his messy brown bangs up to get a clear picture of what was in front of him. His green-blue eyes looked at Tifa's.

"Denzel…let me guess…you accidentally got your clothes wet," Tifa said as she took a glance at his wet attire. His prized green overshirt and grey shirt with a brown collar and grey pants was drenched with water. He was still shaking the excess water from his pants. "Rough time?"

Denzel nodded. "Those kids over there are annoying. They play too much. They knocked the pitcher and soaked my clothes. I just got this washed too…" He looked at the new order of drinks that Tifa placed in front of him. "Wow! That many already after 2 minutes?"

"Snap to it," Tifa said. "Be sure to ask Marlene for help."

Denzel nodded enthusiastically and went to his work, calling Marlene in the process. She smiled at the two proudly. They were her two special helpers for the bar. Normally, Tifa would handle the bustling restaurant by herself. She didn't ask the two because of their school. She was also worried about them when they walk around drunks. But, certain circumstances made her lean on their support.

"Are you sure you guys are up to this?" Tifa asked when she spotted the two come out of the kitchen with the drinks in their hands. "I mean…you have a huge project to do for your school Denzel and you have a math test tomorrow, Marlene."

"That's okay. You need the help!" Denzel said with a smile.

Marlene nodded her head. "Mm!"

Marlene's little brow frowned a bit as she watched Tifa scrubbing the counter like there was no tomorrow. "Besides, wouldn't Cloud get worried when he finds you're working when you should be resting?"

Tifa froze at the mention of the name. _"Cloud," _she thought dazedly, a ghostly smile appearing on her lips. "_I wonder what he's doing…"_

"Oi! Tifa! Another round please?" It was the men at the bar. A gentle smile passed through her features as she recognized the familiar face of her usual customer among the mass of men at the bar.

"Of course, Mr. Matsu, but remember to control yourself," Tifa said as she gave another batch of her specially made alcoholic beverage.

"Thanks so much Tifa! I knew we could always count on ya! Especially today!"

"Today?" inquired Tifa curiously as she returned to scrubbing the counters. "What is so special about today?"

A huge grin passed his face. "We're celebrating the birth of my baby daughter!" Tifa's eyes widened in shock as the men toasted to the new father for the fifth time that night. His brothers all ganged up on him, giving him different noggies and punches, saying that he was one lucky person, and all kinds of praise.

She watched the huge family talk happily among each other. They were so happy. It seemed like they had no troubles coming their way. She looked around herself to find that the majority of her customers were with their families. One huge family took over the whole entire booth area on the right as they toasted to a newly engaged couple. She watched the exchange between the two. The two were smiling broadly as they gave their blessings to them. Her eyes shifted away from the family to a young couple with the woman holding their child. They were smiling lovingly at each other as they watched their little one sleep peacefully.

"_Family…" _Tifa thought fondly. It was always a normal occurrence in this bar as a lot of family members come here. Despite having some drunks run amok in this place, her restaurant was family friendly. After all, she made sure that none of them would bother them. Somehow, just thinking about the concept of family made her feel nostalgic.

Forgetting she didn't respond to her customer, Tifa shook her head and smiled. "Congratulations…"

"Thanks Tifa!"

"Tell me more about your little girl," she started the conversation.

She carried on the normal things she would do with her patrons, talking with them and making sure everyone was getting good service. Her job carried on until 7 'o' clock. Tifa was about to fix a drink when she felt dizzy again. She placed the cup gently on the counter and sat herself on a nearby chair. Maybe she was working herself too hard. She surveyed the area to see that it was a full house. She sighed. She hated closing early, but she had no choice. She was about to finish the drink before closing the store when she heard a familiar rumble. A smile crossed her features. Somehow, the night seemed lighter. Not wasting a minute, Tifa stood up and grabbed a clean, empty glass from the dish rack.

The moment that sound disappeared, the bells jingled from the entrance. The door opened to reveal a 25 year old man, wearing a black short-sleeved turtle-neck shirt with a pair of black pants that were slightly baggy on the ends. Two belts crossed his chest and held together a sword holster that was behind his back and the black cloth that covered his leg, cascading down to his ankles. His spiky blonde hair stood out from the pale color of the bar.

Both Marlene and Denzel perked up immediately and turned to the new customer. "Welcome! " As they turned to the new customer, ready to sit them on an empty table, they saw that familiar face.

"Cloud!!!" The man was taking a few steps into the bar when the two hugged him like no other.

"Okaeri!" Marlene greeted with a bright smile.

"You're home early!" inquired Denzel excitedly.

"Why are you home so early?"

"Did you already miss us?"

"Are you hungry? Tifa made some food! It's your favorite too!"

He looked back and forth from the two as they bombarded him with questions. He got lost on the way and gave up. Instead, he simply ruffled the two's head. "Tadaima," he said with a small, rare smile. Both kids smiled as they knew he wasn't much with words. They were about ask him another set of questions when they realized they neglected their work. Immediately, they went back to work, apologizing profusely to their customers.

Tifa was mixing the drinks slowly when she watched this little exchange. She smiled at them and watched them interact with the ever quiet Cloud. When she noticed the two went back to work, she knew what Cloud would do next. So, she pretended to look busy. In that moment, she could feel his eyes on her. She heard his heavy boots thud against the wooden floor until it stopped right beside her. She could feel him, eyeing her curiously.

"Okaeri," Tifa greeted with a smile as she handed him a drink. Cloud was caught by surprise. He blinked a couple of times before reaching it gratefully. "It's hot out there, isn't it? You must be thirsty from the long ride. Anyways, try to relax." He began to drink it before blinking once more after taking a taste of it.

"Green tea is better when it's cold. It's summer, you know."

Cloud greedily drank the drink down and placed the empty glass cup in the sink. Even though his eyes were covered from his sleek goggles, she noted the satisfaction on his lips. He took off his glasses and placed them in his pocket, exposing his blue, mako-infested eyes for the world to see. He noted that Denzel and Marlene were out there. Slowly, his eyes averted to Tifa who was now working on another drink. Judging the way Cloud was looking at her and the way he was standing there with his muscles slightly tense, she knew what he was going to ask and met his eyes in turn.

"Why am I working, you ask?" she said knowingly, with an amused look on her face. He nodded his head a bit reluctantly. "It's okay, I have everything under control."

Cloud looked around the place and then turned his gaze back to her. He was about to say something sternly, but Tifa beat him to it.

"Cloud, I can handle it. Trust me," she placed her hands on her hips. Cloud then gave her another stern look, his eyes slightly glowing as his gaze bore into her.

"Don't even think about saying I'm stubborn. Like I said before, I got it." He held his gaze on her for a moment while she did the same. Before long, she relented. She sighed, knowing she could never win against Cloud's intense stare.

"Alright, alright, I'll rest a bit. But, in turn, you manage the bar. I'll just be in the kitchen and cook. I'll ask Marlene and Denzel to serve it if necessary. Does that make you happy, Mr. Worry wart?" she asked, leaning forward with her hands behind her back, gazing intently into his face. A soft look passed through his features. He was definitely pleased what she was going to do. Cloud took her place and began to work.

"Don't forget to take off your gloves and wash your hands before touching anything!" Tifa warned before she left for the kitchen. Cloud immediately dropped the clean glass in the sink and hastily removed his gloves. Tifa was clearly amused when he started washing his hands aggressively. He was forgetful of little things. That was why she was here to fill in the little blanks. As she turned to leave, she noted the new customers who gave Cloud and her curious, observing looks. They were whispering among each other. She placed both her hands on her hips. She knew exactly what was going on through their minds. She decided to ignore whatever rumor they would make up and turned towards the kitchen.

"Oh, I forgot!" She whirled slowly to the counter. On the counter was a green bottle of Corel-brand wine. She hoped it would help with the taste of the food. She was reaching for the bottle when a rough hand grabbed hold of her wrist. Mr. Matsu and his friends were about to make another toast when they suddenly stopped to see who it was that grabbed hold of Tifa. People who were talking immediately stopped. Suddenly, the entire 7th Heaven was silent, let alone the running water Cloud was using. Tifa didn't have to look up as she knew who she was dealing with. None of the regulars in this bar would do this.

Maintaining her personality professionally, she looked at the newcomer and smiled. "Welcome to Seventh Heaven. May I help you?" she asked in her usual polite tone.

"What…pretty handshh ya got," he said as he began to rub her hand up and down like a leecher. She shivered a bit as she felt his warmth rubbing against her skin. Judging from the way he was talking, slow and slurred, she knew he had too much to drink. Luckily, this wasn't the only place to provide alcoholic drinks. She felt a threatening aura begin to form. She knew who it was as his body involuntarily stiffened beside her.

"And you got a prettiful face too. It goes well with yer smileful lips…"

Tifa inwardly winced. But she maintained her face neutrally. "T-thank you. I can…understand why. But, I'm more interested in what would like from the menu. Can tell me what you want?" Clearly, she was trying to refocus him back.

"What I want? Heh! I know what I want! How 'bout you goin' out a date with me? I'll make it worth yer while," he said courageously. People began to whisper to each other.

"What an idiot," Mr. Matsu said to his brothers.

"He doesn't know does he?"

Among all the whispers, a crude huff was heard from Tifa's right that drowned all the whispers. The man glowered at the intruder.

"What the hell's yer problem, blondie?!" the man asked, pointing an accusing finger at Cloud. Tifa took this time to wrench her arm away from the man's, rubbing it to make sure he didn't break anything. Cloud didn't flinch at all under the accusing finger and glare as he continued his work. He didn't bother saying a word and let him continue on his tirade.

The man obviously was angry at the display and growled as he sat back in his stool. He looked at Tifa again. A flirtatious smile appeared his lips. "So, how about it? Would go out with me?"

"Hm!" Cloud huffed again, like if he was coughing, as he placed a clean cup on the counter in front Mr. Matsu.

"Tch, whatevers. That guy's probably jealous anyways," the man justified arrogantly. "You lost yer chance pal. You've been livin' here for a while and never made a move. It's yer fault for being a tough guy instead being a soft guy like me. It's high time ya let other guys have a chance!" He looked at Tifa again, waiting for an answer.

Tifa closed her eyes. This guy was really irritating. Doesn't he realize the situation he was putting himself into, especially when she felt a strong, threatening aura coming from Cloud? Nonetheless, she put on a happy smile. "I'm flattered, but I must decline."

"What?! Why?! Is it because you hafta take care of those little stinky rugrats over there?!"

Denzel, who was apparently watching the whole exchange from his seat on the booths, suddenly stood up and narrowed his eyes angrily. "You son of a-"

"Denzel, watch your mouth," Tifa said before he said that word.

"Tch, managing the bar and taking care of kids. Must be a boring life…"

Boring life? He should really check his resources, dating back when Meteor almost came crashing down or when they fought the remnants. She didn't live a boring life.

"Or is it because blondie there forced you to stay…? Why don't ya ask blondie to watch over the rugrats?! He's got nothin' to loss!"

Deciding to end this charade, Tifa walked over to Cloud who gave her a curious look.

"Of course he won't let me go," Tifa said as she wrapped her arms around Cloud's arm.

"Cloud here is a major worry wart. So he'll be worried about me." She eyed Cloud carefully before looking at the man with determined eyes. "Especially now since I'm carrying his child," Tifa said casually.

Both the man and the new customers were surprised by this notion. They all took a better look at her. Tifa wasn't wearing her normal attire. She was wearing a sleeveless pastel yellow dress that ran down to her ankles. Under that dress, there was a noticeable swollen belly. With her left arm wrapped around Cloud's arm intimately, there was a white gold engagement ring with a beautiful green emerald on her left ring finger. These were all evidence that Tifa wasn't available as most thought.

But, apparently digging his own grave, he didn't bother looking at the signs. So, instead, he said this:

"You knocked my girl up!!!!" Tifa raised an eyebrow. Now he was just being crazy.

"I'll kill you, you bastard!" The man leapt from his place from the stool and began to jump at Cloud. Tifa took action and was about to deliver one of her blows when Cloud beat her to it. Dragging her behind his back, Cloud did one roundhouse kick and immediately hurled the guy out the door. Luckily, a customer was coming in and immediately ducked, leaving the door open in the process. Right then, he smashed into the wall on the building across from them and skidded down to a pile of trash on the ground.

"Please come again!" Marlene said as she waved to him before the door was shut. The silence continued as Cloud lowered his leg. No one could compare to Cloud's strength. Just one push could really push someone clear out of his space if he wanted to. Without another word, Cloud went back to his job as if nothing happened. Right then, people began talking again.

"P-pregnant? Are you serious?"

"When did they become a couple?"

"You mean engaged…"

"Geez, and I was going to say to her that she was gaining weight," one of Mr. Matsu's brothers said, which he got hit on the head from Mr. Matsu himself.

"When did this happen? I'd never heard of such an event happening…"

Tifa sighed as she listened to them as she placed her hips on her side. People always wondered where Cloud and her stand. They would always be seen together, but never held hands or kissed in public. It would seem that they would only pass as friends. He wasn't the type to show his emotions. It was hard for him since he lived a turbulent past life. Likewise, people tend to read outside the book and never inside the book. She dislikes this fact.

Suddenly, her thoughts were broken when she looked at Cloud to see him looking at her. He gave her a look that only Tifa knew too well. Slowly, she smiled at him and rubbed her belly gently, signifying to him that their child was all right. Cloud simply nodded and turned back to his work.

This was definitely Cloud Strife, the man she loves.

* * *

**Author's Note:**** Hi everyone! And welcome back! You may have already guessed, but the story's topic is PREGNANCY. Yes, that's right my fellow readers. If you take a quick look at my profile, I'm a nursing student. My school continuously drills and drills all lectures, all scenarios, all case studies, and all skills into just 10 weeks of school (my college is quarter system). There are different departments of health crammed into the same major. Can you believe the amount of workload I have to go through? Anyways, this is the first time that a fic of mine has some of my nursing education into it. This is not your typical "Tifa's pregnant fic." I will go down right into the actual birthing process, although not graphical. So that is why the rating is TEENS. So, beware! **

**There is a reason for the creation of this fic. In my experience in clinical, OB is a place where it can be happy or it can be sad. By far, I've seen both sides in my clinical experience. It's tough for women to go through this stressful time. Especially for women who is about to have their first child. Imagine how hard it is to transition from being a single, married, or in a relationship status, enjoying life to a soon to be mother. Can you imagine what they would be thinking? It is important to have support from the people you love. I wanted to address this issue because I feel it is important. Having someone support someone can really change that person's perception of things. Imagine if someone isn't there through those tough times? **

**Another reason is that this would help me too to remember the material from OB, just to get ready to take the NCLEX. It's been…nearly 6 months since I have taken that course.**

**FYI, pregnancy is different for everyone, similar as to how experience is different for everyone. Pregnancy is quite unpredictable. You may do the right things, but sometimes things don't turn out as you want it to turn out. With that being said, I will address the normal birthing process with no complications, but keep in mind that everyone is different.**

**Some information: ****Pregnancy usually lasts for 9 months. Some 10 months. It really depends, honestly. Preterm is considered between 28-38 weeks. I have seen babies who are preterm. They're tiny and must be watched carefully. They have complications, especially respiratory. The lungs are not fully developed, so breathing is important to watch. 38-42 weeks is term baby. 42 weeks or more is post term. Babies who are post term, you might think they don't have problems either. That's a misconception. Post term babies do have complications as well. **

**Nothing much in the chapter. I wanted to set and introductory phase of the characters, especially Cloud and Tifa and where they're at. I was contemplating on whether they should be married or not, but decided with Tifa being engaged. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story. Please review if you have any comments, questions, and such. See you next time! ^_^ **


	3. Chapter 3: Dream

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children: Family

**Author's Note: Hi guys and I would like to greet another warm welcome to this story. I decided to post this chapter before things start to get hectic now that I am back in school. Spring Break was definitely too short. I won't be updating for a while due to my busy schedule. Since I am currently in my ICU rotation, I'm back in medical-surgical again. So, a lot of work ahead of me. I'll post the 3****rd**** chapter within this week, but after that I won't be updating until June. It took me a while to post this until I get some information on Final Fantasy Advent Children Complete, you know, just to see if there are any changes. Information about that can be found on if you don't know about ACC already. It also provides all your FFVII, Compilations, and AC/ACC needs. Please read the second author's note at the end of this chapter. Enjoy! ^_^ **

**[o][o][o][o]**

_**Chapter 2:**_

_**Dream**_

**[o][o][o][o][o][o]**

Tifa placed the "closed" sign after Mr. Matsu and his family gave her a warm best wishes on the pending pregnancy. Locking the door, Tifa sighed as she stretched. Now that all the customers were gone, it was time to clean up. For some reason, Tifa suddenly felt this energy that she hadn't felt for the entire 9 months considering she felt tired all the time. She felt like she could do anything. She also felt like she was breathing easier as well. Maybe she was feeling better, who knows. She didn't think about it too much.

On a clean table, near the bar, she could see Denzel and Marlene working on what was left of their homework. Denzel was doing a project on Chocobos as he was required to do a report on a certain species. Marlene, on the other hand, worked on her math homework in amazing speed. Tifa let the two go on with their work as she went to the table to her right side. She was about to reach over when she suddenly felt a jolt of pain. Tifa momentarily stopped as she lightly grasped her belly, deep breathing through the pain. "_The third time today," _Tifa thought after feeling the pain slowly disappeared. She shook her head, thinking nothing of it since it weren't really contractions. So she ignored it and returned to her work. Before she picked up one plate, someone's hand took it before her. Tifa whirled around to see Cloud behind her with the dirty plate in his right hand. How in the world did he manage to get behind her so quickly like that?

"Tifa, you should rest," Cloud said, his deep, calm voice resonating throughout the quiet bar. It was the first time she heard his voice since he came home.

Tifa shook her head, placing a hand on her forehead. He was on her case again. "You know I can handle it. Me being pregnant does not mean I'm helpless, you know."

"I'm not saying your helpless," he said as he piled the four plates from the table in one stack. "You should be resting. You're too working too much."

Tifa placed her hands on her hips. "How am I working muc-"

"You haven't answered the phone," he said as he placed the plates in the sink. "You usually answer. You usually close the bar at 7 now and you've been cleaning up and down the house for almost 2 days. That's working too much." He then turned to the kitchen to grab some dishwashing soap.

Tifa was surprised to say the least. How did he know all this? Soon, her surprise turned to realization. She followed him to the kitchen. She watched him search for the dishwashing soap.

"So that's why you came home early," she said. "No wonder you were a little uptight. Maybe that's why you decided to kick the guy instead of pushing him off the curve with your hands, ne? Normally, you wouldn't do that. You don't like making a lot of commotion." Cloud simply shrugged as he continued his search for the dishwashing soap.

"It's in the cabinet under the sink," Tifa said, deciding to end Cloud's continuous search since he was making her dizzy watching him move around. He opened the cabinet and found the dishwashing soap. With a sigh, Tifa decided to clean what was left to clean in the bar. She was just about to reach for the broom in the corner near the door when his warm arms wrapped around her stomach gently. Tifa froze when she felt his familiar warmth. She could feel him put his chin on her shoulder.

She didn't expect him to say anything. Just his presence was all the interaction she needed from him. When he showers her with affection like this, it was these kind of moments she always looked forward to. After all, Cloud wasn't good at expressing his feelings through words, but actions.

Cloud simply remained silent as usual, letting himself enjoy being in her warmth. For a while they stayed like that. However, it didn't last long when he felt something on his hands. He looked down to see his hands twitching. His eyes widened, wondering what he felt. Tifa smiled as she placed her hands over his.

"Our baby's kicking," she said. "It kicks every night. I counted ten kicks so it's all right. I guess it wanted to greet its father." Cloud simply nodded his head and let the moment take them in. Again, they fell into a companionable silence.

"It's almost time," Tifa said suddenly, causing Cloud to jerk a little in surprise.

"W-what is?" he asked incredulously.

"For our baby to be born." She turned to Cloud and gave him an amused face. "Don't you know? It's already 38 weeks…"

"38…weeks…"

Tifa sighed. "Cloud, usually babies come within 9-10 months, 38 weeks or more. Didn't you read the information pamphlet I gave you? I know you don't know these kind of things."

Cloud shook his head. He didn't remember receiving those from Tifa. Tifa sighed again. "You really have a bad habit of leaving stuff around, especially leaving all those cans on your desk. Really, Cloud, be a good example for the kids…"

For the third time, they fell to a comfortable silence fell. She sighed comfortably, leaning her head against his. Their hands remained on her belly, looking so much like a new couple with their first child in tow.

"You know, Cloud," she started after a few moments passed by. "Why did you come home early tonight?" Although she already assumed that he came home early because she was working too much, she couldn't help but feel that there was more than just that.

This question caught Cloud off guard as he looked at her once again. Slowly, he looked away, masking whatever emotion he had away from Tifa. "M-mm…"

Tifa gently removed herself from his arms to look at him. She inspected his turned away face carefully. "You look worried. Are you worried about something?"

"It's nothing," he stated again as he began to walk into the bar to start his dishwashing duty. Tifa followed him there. By then, Marlene and Denzel were upstairs, getting ready for bed.

"Nothing. There has to be something if you're worried," Tifa exasperated as she crossed her arms again. Cloud remained silent and went about washing the dishes. "Is there something you're hiding from me? Is there something you want to talk about? Please tell me. You know you can talk to me about anything, Cloud."

He remained silent as he continued washing the dishes.

"I know something is wrong, Cloud. You would never hide anything from me. For 2 months, you're acting cold."

Tifa felt tears forming in her eyes, but she suppressed it as usual. She didn't want to bring this up, but it was bugging her for 2 whole months. She didn't mean to, but she had to put it out. For some reason, during those 2 months, he suddenly changed. He was more reclusive. Whenever she mentions something about the baby, he ignores it and easily dismisses it off. He never mentioned anything about the ultrasound of their baby, whether it had any deformities or it was developing normally. He never asked if the baby could hear their voice through the womb or taste the food that she's been eating, with Cloud asking if the baby would turn out weird since she's been eating these weird foods for the last 9 months.

"I…I feel like I'm not getting any support from you," she continued. "I mean, you are supporting me by helping out around the bar. But, are you really supportive about the baby? Do you really want this baby? You never really asked about the baby…or if it moved…or if it can hear us in here. I just—"

Tifa suddenly stopped as she felt another jolt of pain coming from her stomach. Although she could not see, Cloud's eyes widen a bit, seeing her grasping her belly lightly with her touch. Cloud was about to turn around but stopped when she placed a hand on her forehead. Tifa felt the tears coming and she wanted to stop them before they come out. She didn't want Cloud to see her like this. _"Maybe I'm taking everything out of proportion," _Tifa thought. Her hormones were making her feel instable and she feels like everything was out of her control.

"I'm sorry," she said after composing herself. "I'm overreacting. Maybe I'm thinking into it too much." Slowly, she turned around to head up the stairs. She needed to rest. All these thoughts were making her feel tired, dizzy, and oddly, nauseous.

"I'm a little tired. I'll go to bed early. Be sure to check everything, okay?" With that said, Tifa climbed the stairs, leaving Cloud alone in the bar.

What she didn't notice then was that Cloud did not budge the moment Tifa spoke her feelings out. She didn't notice the little tremors coming from Cloud's hands as he held the soapy sponge and dish. After a while, Cloud looked to where Tifa was, a sad, worried look appeared in his eyes.

"It's…not that. It's not that at all…"

* * *

_He was in the room again, with the doctor in the same standing position in front of the bed, with his back turned to him slightly. There, he could see the familiar feminine hands on top of her stomach, with a noticeable white gold ring on her left ring finger. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he stepped forward, trying to make sense of the whole situation. Her familiar face appeared in his vision. She looked peaceful, as if she were sleeping. The feature that brought out the most was her smile. Even through death, she was smiling._

_"She was hemorrhaging. I tried to stop the bleeding. But, it was too much. There wasn't anything we could do," the doctor continued. "We didn't realize she was hemorrhaging…I'm so sorry…"_

_He knew she would risk her life for the sake of others. She would even risk her life to help her family, no matter the cost. It was like her to be selfless. A thought crossed his mind. His head shot up and looked at the doctor. "The baby!"_

_Again, the doctor blocked the emotion in his eyes by covering it with his glasses. The grim line on his lips spoke otherwise. "I'm sorry…I couldn't…" Cloud's eyes turned to the baby warmer to see a cloth covering a tiny life that did not have a chance to live._

_"NO!!"_

_

* * *

_

Cloud instantly woke up by the sound of his name being called, breaking the dreary dream instantaneously. Instinct took over him and he immediately grabbed for his First Tsurugi. When he grabbed for the handle, he turned, facing whatever intruder went into his room. But, he stopped and dropped his hand from the handle. The once glowing angry look from his eyes disappeared and worry filled them as he saw Tifa there, sitting up on their bed, grasping her stomach in pain. She was moaning, grimacing painfully.

Cloud immediately went to her side. "Tifa. Tifa!" he called.

"Cloud…help…" she managed to say as she opened her eyes to look at him.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked, placing one arm around her and other on her stomach.

"I think…I think…it's time…"

"T-time…?"

Tifa nodded. "My contractions are 20 minutes apart. I was trying to walk to the bathroom when it started. The contractions won't disappear."

"Con-trac-tions…"Cloud pronounced cluelessly. He recalled learning about that somewhere.

Tifa sighed frustratingly. "I need to go to the hospital. NOW! The baby…it's time!"

As if struck by lightning, Cloud finally realized what was going on.

…

_"I'm sorry…I couldn't save them both…"_

_…_

A mixture of dread and excitement filled his mind. He averted his eyes away from Tifa and began pacing, with a confused look on his face.

"O-oh," he said absentmindedly as he began to pace around the room.

"Cloud!" He looked at Tifa when she called him.

He opened his mouth and was about to say something, but he couldn't. "I-I…" he managed to utter before looking at the ground again.

"Cloud, what's wrong with you?!" she asked. "Didn't you have plans already?"

A guilty look passed his features. "I-I did. But, I forgot…"

Tifa bowed her head exasperatingly. "Cloud…"

The door to their room suddenly opened. Cloud reacted again only to stop when he realized Denzel and Marlene where there. "Cloud, what's going on? What's wrong with Tifa?" Denzel asked worriedly, his arm wrapped around Marlene's tiny shoulders protectively.

"T-Tifa…is…" Cloud was speechless at this point. He didn't know what to say to a child.

"Denzel," Tifa said, deciding it was best to tell him instead of Cloud who was incoherent at the moment. "You're going to have a baby brother or sister soon."

Denzel's eyes widened in surprise. Immediately, Denzel started walking around just like Cloud did a few moments ago. "Oh no! T-This is new to me…!" he turned to Cloud. "What should we do? What are we going to do? Cloud?!" Both men were incoherent right now.

"I'm going to call daddy!" Marlene, the only one who was leveled headed at the moment, suggested as she ran to Cloud's office to call her father. As Marlene ran over to the office, Cloud looked like he was almost going to faint. Not just because of the situation, but the vivid images of his dream came alive. This situation triggered it to come to life. However, he managed to regain his composure and turned to Denzel with a blank look in his eyes.

"Denzel, get ready. Tifa's bag is in the closet. Be sure you get everything prepared when Barret arrives."

"R-Right!" Denzel said as he ran into his room to get himself ready. Cloud then decided to get himself ready as he put on his pants.

"Cloud…" Cloud looked up to see a worried glance from Tifa. Zipping up his pants, Cloud grabbed her robe and placed it above her pajamas. Wordlessly, Cloud finished dressing up. By then, Marlene came in.

"Papa's coming. He isn't far. He said he'll be here in 5 minutes," Marlene informed excitedly. "Papa was going to surprise us today!"

As Barret said, he came within 5 minutes, roughly opening the door and dashing into the bar. "Oi! Cloud! Tifa! I got here as I fast I could! What's happenin'?!" Barret called with his thunderous voice.

Cloud strapped the last belt of First Tsurugi's holder and turned to Tifa. "I'll be back…" He grabbed his sword and placed it in his unique holder on the lower portion of his body.

"Cloud, where are you going?" she asked as she stopped him. He didn't say anything as his back was turned to her. Tifa couldn't make out his emotions as his back was turned to her. Both stood there silently, not knowing what to say to each other. Tifa knew what Cloud was doing. She hoped it wasn't the worst case scenario: Running away.

Tifa relented as she gave a sigh. She turned her eyes away from him, placing her hand above her heart. "If…you're not going to tell me where you're going…then…can you at least tell me…that you would be there?"

He looked at her to see the sad look in her eyes. A guilty look passed his features. Slowly, he turned to her and gently grabbed her hands. Tifa looked up to him to see his gaze pierce into hers. What was Cloud up to? Why did he have the look that told her he needed to run away?

Gently, Cloud leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek before heading down the stairs.

"Cloud!" Tifa called worriedly.

Within seconds, Cloud was at the bottom of the stairs when he saw Barret picking up Marlene to greet her.

"Oi! Spike! Where ya goin'?" Barret asked as he slowly put Marlene down.

"Going out. There's something I have to do," Cloud said. He stopped for a moment before the front door, his eyes in a contemplative state. Barret frowned slightly as he looked at Cloud's behind, wondering what he was trying to do.

"Take care of her," he finally said. With that, Cloud went to the curb where his motorcycle was parked and started Fenrir. Barret ran out to stop him but it was too late. Cloud left.

"Cloud!!!"

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Dramatic moment, huh? I tried as much as I could to put as much feeling into this as possible. I tried my best to stay in Cloud's character as much as possible too. This chapter was a little hard. I've probably came up with 2 scenarios how Cloud react to Tifa being in labor. I wanted to show that guys like Cloud do lose their cool when it comes to this. Complete pandemonium when a woman is in labor. Trust me, I've seen a lot during my rotation on Labor and Delivery. Some cases were crazier than this. And a lot of the fathers handle it differently. I think some of my readers who had experienced this agree, right? This is Cloud's way of dealing with it. I believe it is fitting that Cloud took off like that. He has a lot to think about. I'll probably post the different little scenarios as a little extra after the end of this story.

**To vx-Luna-xv:** The reason I decided to have Cloud and Tifa not married yet will be explained in the next chapter. I'm sorry, but I don't want to spoil it. You'll find out why. ^_^ **To Stryper: **You'replanning to be a nurse! That's great! Glad to hear that more nursing students are coming on board. It's going to be long path, but you can do it. I thought at first it will never end when I started nursing school, but I managed to come this far and already I'm freaking out because graduation is around the corner. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me and I'll try to answer as much as I could.

Now, on to some facts that I want to point out in this chapter:

**True Labor sign and symptoms (meaning YOU ARE IN LABOR!):**

_Contractions at regular intervals, growing in duration and intensity. So, the contractions will shorten as time grows by and pain. In a way, it feels like cramps on a normal menstrual cycle, but worse. _

_Discomfort begins in back and radiates to front of abdomen_

_Walking __**intensifies**__ contractions_

_Resting or relaxing in warm water does not decrease intensity_

**False Labor sign/symptoms (False alarm):** _Just think of it as the opposite of S/S of True Labor. SO! Cramps do disappear when walking. Discomfort only radiates in the back._

**Premonitory signs of Labor (meaning: YOU NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL! NOW):**

_Rupture of membranes, or your Water broke. You need to go to the hospital right away. Labor will begin within the 24 hours, but really, depends on the mother. The fluid supports the baby. Without the fluid, the baby will descend down. Also, the umbilical cord will be pressed into the walls and that's not good because that's the baby's only lifeline. Go to the hospital immediately. _

_Sudden outburst of energy called nesting as a result of this sudden energy do something like cleaning the house, as if the mom is preparing for the child _

_Lightening: sudden increase in breathing. When you are pregnant, as the fetus grows, the organs on the lower portion go up, pushing the diaphragm into the upper portion of the body, resulting to shortness of breath for the mom. But, if the mom experiences suddenly feels like they are breathing, then that means the baby is descending to the pelvis. Also, the mother will experience rectal pressure and increase leg cramps. The baby is putting on pressure on the veins and arteries of the leg, reducing blood flow, resulting to cramps due to poor circulation. _

_Contractions are short, within 0-30 minutes depending what stage you are in_

_Loss of 1-3 lbs_

_This is the start of the laboring process. The mother must be aware of these signs and do interventions to go to the hospital to prevent further complications. Please be aware of these symptoms. _

_Another thing I would like to point out is the baby's kicks. Within the 3 hours, you must count at least 10 or more kicks. If it's less than that, try waking the baby up by eating something or drinking water. Count 10 or more kicks again after the intervention. If it is less than 10 again and interventions failed, go to the hospital IMMEDIATELY. _

_Did I gross you out? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I truly appreciate it! Please continue to review and let me know what you think or have any questions. Thanks again! See you next time! ^_^ _

-Kuti


	4. Chapter 4: A Little Push

**Final Fantasy Advent Children: Family**

**Author's Note: I decided to put this chapter up since I have this already. Not a lot of facts in this chapter. So, I didn't need to double check with my notes. This chapter was fun to write and my favorite. You will also see a special guest in this chapter. Also take note I changed the summary. I just thought of a better one while I was at class today. Please read the second author's note if you like. Enjoy!**

**[o][o][o][o][o][o]**

_**Chapter 3:**_

_**A little push**_

**[o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o]**

Denzel looked worriedly at Barret's cell phone after leaving another message on Cloud's phone. He immediately closed the phone and gave it back to Barret. "He didn't answer," Denzel said, distressed. "I already left him 3 messages. Where did he go?"

Barret only shook his head as he folded his arms. "Hard ta tell. What's goin' through that Spiky head of his? Geez, always unpredictable…!" Barret sighed exasperatingly as he leaned against the wall. Denzel simply nodded subtly in response.

"Well, whatever he had to take care of, he betta do it soon. Tifa's worried 'bout him."

A sound from the hallway made the two look up to see a nurse walking by, holding an IV bag , IV pole and tube. Barret and Denzel were now standing in the hallways of the maternity ward on the 3rd floor in one of Edge's refined hospitals, with the most up-to-date medical technology, curtsey of Rufus and his generous donation. The hallways were painted in pink with little baby toys on top. The floors on the hallway were made of fine wood and each door was colored cream. In front of them was the nurse's station with several nurses in different colored scrubs doing whatever business they were taking care of. Unlike the typical white, plan walls and white, cold tiled floors, this section of the hospital was a happy, feminine place. Barret felt uncomfortable since this type of department was not his taste. He wasn't a fan for feminine things after all.

Suddenly, a woman's scream was heard from the room across the hall, making Barret feel a shiver run down his spine and Denzel's face paled at the awful noise. Where in the world where they?

* * *

Marlene sat comfortably in a pink, cushioned, rocking chair as she watched cartoons on the HDTV placed on the wall. She wasn't really concentrating on the cartoons as her eyes wandered to the bathroom door, where Tifa was changing. She was concerned. Ever since they arrived at the hospital, Tifa's mind was elsewhere. It seemed as if the excitement of having the baby disappeared from her eyes. Marlene knew that wasn't the case at all. What joy would come from this if the father of the baby was not there to share this special moment?

The door finally opened and Tifa was dressed in a pink hospital gown. She carefully sat herself on the bed, brushing her hair to smooth out any tangles. Marlene could see the worried look in Tifa's eyes again, even though she was hiding it. She knew her guardian well as she always saw her numerous times with that same look when Cloud was gone. Lowering the volume, Marlene placed the remote control on the table and sat next to Tifa.

"Tifa…"

Tifa's mind instantly snapped out of her trance like state and turned to the young girl. She couldn't hide anything from Marlene. Like Tifa herself, Marlene was able to pick up what the person was truly feeling.

Marlene smiled at her. "Didn't he make a promise to you?" she asked innocently. She remembered Tifa's stories about her childhood with Cloud. The promise they made before he left to join SOLDIER was the highlight of her story. It almost reminded her of a knight in shining armor vowing to protect his princess from any danger. Though Tifa was the one who initiated the promise, Cloud managed to keep the promise, even though he was always late.

Tifa's eyes widened a little bit. "Marlene…"

"He won't leave you. I'm sure." For a while, Tifa looked at the young girl, trying to figure out what she was trying to do. She knew Cloud wouldn't leave her alone like this, especially in this critical time. However, for some reason, hearing it from someone else was reassuring. It was even more reassuring to hear it from her family. Finally, a small smile appeared on her face as she patted Marlene's head gently and nodded her head.

* * *

Denzel didn't like staying here, especially with the sounds of people screaming. Deciding that it was best to get out of the hallway, Denzel turned to Barret. "I'm gonna check on Tifa!" Denzel declared and ran off, leaving poor Barret alone to hear such a torturous sound. He entered the room a few doors down from where he was standing and peered into the room. Tifa was now seating fully on the bed, with the covers around her legs, looking at the covers distractedly. On Tifa's right was her nurse who was setting her up on the fetal monitor. Denzel carefully went inside.

Tifa's mind soon returned to reality when she saw Denzel approach her. "Any luck?" she asked hopefully. Denzel shook his head reluctantly. Tifa sighed worriedly. He didn't like seeing her like this. Denzel was so used to seeing her strong and sure. She never once showed a sign of weakness. If only Cloud were here.

"Tifa," he said worriedly. He was about to say more but he closed his mouth. If only he knew what to say to her. What would Cloud do in this situation?

"Don't worry, Denzel," Tifa said as she looked up at Denzel. "I know he'll come." What bothered her t was his eyes. Though she knew through those eyes that he will return to her, she was still having doubts about the whole situation. What if that look was only a façade from the truth? Would Cloud truly run away? No, she shouldn't be thinking negatively like this. If she were to think negatively, then something bad will definitely happen.

"Tifa…" She looked up again to see Marlene beside her bed. By that time, the television was off. "Is it okay if we get breakfast? We'll bring the food up here." Tifa noted the tired and hungry looks in both children's eyes.

"Of course. Go ahead and eat," Tifa said with a smile.

"Thanks Tifa! We'll be back!" With that, the two immediately ran out the door.

"Don't run in the halls!" Tifa warned. He heard a distinct yelp from Denzel from the other side of the door. Passing by her door was a gurney that evidently was the thing Denzel almost ran over. "I told you! Denzel be careful!"

"OKAY!" she heard his faint voice calling.

As soon as she heard Barret and the two walk further away from her room, Tifa looked out the window. The sun was beginning to rise. She could see the outline of the city, now fully developed after a year's time. Time wore on as she sat on her hospital bed, with the sounds of the hospital as her only entertainment. She didn't have the heart to turn on the television. She could hear each and every sound pass by her room. She could hear people talking in front of the nurse's station, asking where to go or what they should do. She could hear the gurneys being transferred from place to place. The beeping sounds came from her ultrasound, hearing the baby's fast heart beat.

"Did you hear? The mother over in room 3215 lost her baby during birth…"

Her heart suddenly froze when two people stopped in front of her slightly opened door, unaware that she was listening to the conversation.

"Are you serious?" the other person asked with a shocked voice.

"Yeah, the doctor didn't make it in time. He wanted to do a c-section because the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby's neck. But the baby's already too near the opening. He was forced take out the baby vaginally. He had no other choice."

"The mother must be devastated."

"Uh-huh. She doesn't have anyone with her. Her husband told her to leave the baby in the hospital last night. He deemed the baby as an accident and doesn't want anything to do with it. Can you believe that was when she just begun labor?"

"The poor thing. She must be so depressed..."

"And she's such a sweet person. I knew that she would keep the baby despite her loser husband's pleas…"

The baby dying right after birth? Her anxiety began to increase as she lovingly caressed her swollen belly. Her confidence with this birth dwindled after hearing such a sad story. She was definitely scared out of her wits. Tears started to form in her eyes.

"_Can I really do this?" _she thought.

"Cloud," was what came into her mind and whispered his name out sadly to no one. She truly needed him by her side. Without him, she felt hopeless.

"_You normally wouldn't be sad. I'm surprised, Tifa…"_

Tifa's eyes widened at the familiar playful, gentle voice she heard.

"Aerith…" she whispered knowingly.

"_It's been a while," _Aerith said, Tifa noting the smile in her voice. "_How have you been Tifa? I thought you were happy after you two got together…"_

In that instant, Tifa could feel as if Aerith was standing beside her when she sat in this hospital bed. She could feel the gentleness and warmth Aerith always radiated. It felt like ages since she felt that warmth. She truly missed her friend.

The happiness of hearing her old friend again didn't last long as Tifa's smile slowly faded. "_Aerith…I'm not sure if I'm doing okay…"_

_"Hmm? Why?" _Tifa noted the change in Aerith's voice. It held concern.

_"I'm…scared…about this whole birth. I-I'm not sure if I can do this…and…if you noticed…Cloud is not here…"_

_"He's out there again, brooding, right?" _asked Aerith knowingly. Unconsciously, Tifa nodded her head, although she didn't know if it were true.

_"Is it wrong of me to worry like this? I mean, he's probably having a lot of things to think about. I'm not sure…I don't know what to think anymore…"_

_"Cloud will come, Tifa. You know that more than anyone," _Aerith reassured gently. _"Although he may be late from time to time, he wouldn't leave you like this. But, it's normal for you to worry like that. Nothing's wrong about worrying. You are giving birth to your first child."_

_"But I feel like…everything's going wrong. I feel so…scattered. I feel insecure," _Tifa said as she placed her hands over her swollen belly. "_Can I go through this pregnancy? Can I survive it? Will our baby be all right?"_

_"Cloud's most likely thinking the same thing as you are. You just want the best outcome, that's all…"_

Tifa felt tears forming in her eyes. "_Cloud will come. Let him come in his own terms, Tifa. He needs to clear his head like you do." _Tifa thought she felt something warm being placed over her shoulder. "_Until the time he comes, I'll remain by your side and give you all the support I can…"_

A lone tear cascaded down her cheek as Tifa smiled. "Thank you, Aerith…"

* * *

_"Running away again, I see,"_ the voice in Cloud's head asked amusedly. Cloud knew that tone of voice very well. In front of him was a perfect view what was left of Midgar, the once flourishing city that was a double bladed sword that benefited the people, but slowly killing the planet. He sat on top of a cliff that marked the resting place of his best friend. This place also marked the beginning of his turbulent adventure few years ago. The Buster Sword that was once placed on this very area was placed in a proper area among the flowers within Aerith's church. The place where the Buster Sword was once place was now growing slowly with flowers.

"_Giving me the silent treatment, eh? Can't say I'm too happy about that…"_

Cloud frowned a bit at his friend's cheery voice.

"_What's with you all of a sudden? Why are you up here? Did someone ride you like a chocobo again?" _Zack Fair's voice rang through his head.

Again, Cloud remained silent. "_Heh, whatever, I already know what you thinking. I'm not that stupid you know." _He paused for a few moments. Then, a collective gasp came right after. "_Ah! Are you calling me stupid!? Oi, oi! Are you making fun of me, Cloud?!"_

_"_Hm."

"_And that's what I get for coming all the way up here. Aah! Fine! Fine! I understand! You don't want my help!!" _

_"…"_ In the midst of the silence, he could of sworn he felt someone plopping themselves right beside him, patting his shoulder roughly.

"_You're nervous aren't ya?" _Zack asked, his usual playful tone toned down a bit. It was too weird to hear him serious. Cloud's body visibly stiffened at Zach's assumption. Of course, his ghostly best friend was right on the mark. _"Is that why you came all the way up here? You want to talk, don't ya?"_

Cloud nodded his head, his eyes staring at the ruins dazedly.

"_It must be that dream again, huh?"_

**...**

"_**I'm sorry…I couldn't save her…or your child…"**_

_**She slept on that hospital bed peacefully, as if she was sleeping, with that smile on her lips.**_

_**The baby in the warmer was not moving or crying at all. It laid as still as the night under the black and white blanket. **_

**...**

Cloud flinched at the memory. His hands were a bit shaky. Sweat was coming from his brow. After seeing that dream time after time, he always felt completely helpless. "I…don't know what to do."

"Aw! _C'mon!! You already know what you supposed to do. You've already made all the plans to make sure that Tifa and the baby will come out of that hospital safe and sound."_

His eyes turned away from Midgar's ruins, a look of guilt passing his features. He did make the preparations, but…

"_That's the nerves you feeling, Cloud. First time fathers are always like that. Heh, I remember my pops acting like a huge wreck when Ma was goin' to have me. They took a picture of him when I just came out with that goofy look on his face. Now that was hilarious." _

Cloud wondered what Zack was going at. Was he trying to explain something important or he just want to show off the way he was born.

"_The point of me saying that, pal, is that all first time fathers act like that. Even you, the oh-so calm and collective guy that I know so well. Running like this is your way of dealing with it. Nah, maybe not running…more like being a big fat empty headed mess fits you better." _Cloud wasn't amused. If only he didn't put away his First Tsurgi, then-

"_You can't kill me, stupid chocobo head. I'm already dead." _

Cloud sighed. Why was he talking to a dead person anyways?

Zack sighed frustratingly. "_Listen, Cloud. Don't let that dream cloud your judgment. You let your thoughts drag on so much you forget the most important things…"_

_"…"_

_"Tifa's worried, you know. Because the one person she's counting on is not there by her side. Even if you feel useless, just being there for her counts more than anything. Aren't you making it worse by making her worry when she's in freakin' labor?! Come on, bud! Use that empty head of yours!"_

Cloud's eyes crept away from his dream-like state and slowly looked out in front of him as if something struck his mind.

"_Tch, you're just like this, even when you proposed to her. Always thinking of the consequences. That's why it took you so long. I thought by the time you finally propose to her, you'd be an old fart by then. You're a slowpoke, ha ha!" _

Cloud wanted to shut his friend's mouth. It's not his fault that he was always brooding over things. He already planned on proposing to her, even before she told him she was pregnant. But, he couldn't find the right time to say it. He was new with this after all.

"_Bad timing as always, Cloud. Remember when you rescued Tifa from being crushed by that gigantum building from Bahamut's attack? And that time too when you found her lying in the flowers? Or that time…" _

There was also saving the embarrassment as the whole gang was there at 7th Heaven on that day, especially Yuffie.

"_Oi! Are ya listening?!" _

He needed some place so no one would know. He was planning to take her out to dinner but she wasn't there when he came home and he happened to spot her in the center of the city. When he finally had some alone time with her, she decided to tell him. How was he supposed to ask her to marry her then? He didn't want her to think that he was asking to her marry him because of the baby.

Cloud frowned. Wait…that's not even relevant right now. He was going to be father and he didn't know what to do if something were to happen to both them. Again, guilt consumed him.

"_All right!!! Stop brooding in circles already! You're making me dizzy!" _Cloud could have sworn that Zack slapped his back, as if giving him a little push. "_Go to her, Cloud. She needs you more than anything…"_

* * *

"I'll kill that lil bastard for stealin' my lil gir-"It was noon by the time Barret woke up from his dream. In front of him, he could see Denzel and Marlene, trying to hold their laughter. Their faces looked as if they were about to cry.

The expressions on their faces weren't pretty in his eyes and instantly, Barrret sat up, scaring the lives out of the two visitors there in the waiting room. "What?! Is it time?! Ah shit! Cloud's gonna kill me!" Barret yelled.

"No, no. Not yet, daddy," Marlene said, calming her father down.

"Ah, I see." He sat back down, taking a calming breath. "So, is Spike here yet?"

Denzel shook his head. "He still doesn't answer his phone…"

"The hell where Spike went?" Barret asked exasperatingly. "What is he doin' at a time like this?!" He looked at the clock to see it was past noon. He looked at the two children to see the hungry looks in their eyes. With a another sigh, Barret stood up.

"C'mon ya two. No use stayin' 'ere and mopin' 'bout with empty stomachs. Time ta eat," he said as he led them out of the waiting room to the elevators. Barret pressed the button down and waited for the elevator to come up. Just as the elevator opened, Cloud appeared.

"Cloud!" the two exclaimed as they gave him a huge hug the moment he stepped out of the elevator.

"Oi! Cloud! Where were ya?!" Barret asked, surprised. "Ya just went up and left so suddenly! Ya made Tifa worried!"

"Sorry. There was some stuff I had to do," he said. "Where's Tifa?"

"In room 3224, in the labor and delivery area. You can't miss it," Denzel said, pointing the direction. Cloud nodded and rubbed Denzel's hair in gratitude. Without another word, Cloud hurriedly went to Tifa's room. As they watched Cloud dash over to her room, Barret scratched his head curiously.

"Stuff? What stuff?!" Apparently, they missed the elevators and Marlene had to press the down button again. A few moments later, the same elevator opened up as a pile of people came out. Four of them looked awfully familiar.

"Oi! Barret! Outta the way!"

Barret turned to the voice to see Yuffie Kisaragi, the hyperactive, materia-stealing ninja that they knew so well. She was hyper than usual as she was bouncing on one foot to the next with her arms clenched to her chest. It looked as if she needed to go to the bathroom.

He couldn't believe his eyes. "What the…?! How did ya know?!"

"Spike called us," Cid said as took a cigar from his mouth and puffed. In his hand, he held a box full of cigars with a tag that read, "Congratulations, new father!"

"He went out of his way and told us about the birth. Can't believe this is happein'." Just as Cid was about to smoke another cigar, a woman with brown hair and glasses snatched the cigar from his hands.

"Oi, Shera!"

She simply gave him scolding look before she burned out the light and gave it to one of the staff members who knew how to depose it in this place. Cid simply muttered in his own language. "We just got word of it this morning. We got the Sierra ready and picked everyone up in a matter of minutes," Shera said.

"How's Tifa?" a cool, new voice said as he appeared behind Cid and Shera. His skin was as pale as snow. He wore a blood red cloak over his dark clothes. His cold, red eyes bore into Barret's. One who looks into these eyes would cower down in fright. But, this didn't scare Barret one bit.

"Whoa! It's Vincent! How ya doin'? Glad ya could make it! Tifa…hopefully she's doin' alright now. Cloud just got here," Barret said, watching Cloud walk into the room.

"Whaddya mean he got here?! I thought called us from the hospital!" Yuffie screeched, causing everyone in the hospital to look at their direction.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the rest of AVALANCHE crew tried to calm down a very aggravated Yuffie, Cloud found Tifa's room. He stopped and gazed in cautiously. There, he saw Tifa on the bed, sleeping peacefully under the morning sun. Her head was turned slightly with her mouth slightly open. Her hands were clasped gently together over her swollen belly. The glow of the setting sun brought an ethereal glow around her, making her look more maternal than before.

Quietly he went in and inspected the room further. On her left hand was where they attached the IV catheter in. Along the tubing, it was attached to an IV bag filled with fluid that read"Lactated Ringers, 1000mL." His eyes then wandered to her belly. Below her clasped hands were blue and pink straps that were around her. The blue clothed belt was attached to the top of Tifa's belly, just above her umbilicus. It was holding a round sensor that was attached to a monitor to her right. The pink clothed belt held another round sensor that was also attached to the monitor. In that very monitor, there lines on screen that looked like graph paper. In that graph paper were two squiggly lines, one on the bottom and one on the top. On the top, it was remained constant in the line that read 110 and keeps fluctuating up and down. On the bottom, the squiggly lines were going up and down, like a rounded hill, and slowly went back down after a minute or so. The label for each of those squiggly lines read: "Fetal Heart Rate" and "Contractions." On the machine were the two round sensors were attached was a scroll of paper with the same graph type lines and the same squiggly lines in the same fashion as the monitor. From the monitor, he could hear a fast heartbeat. It was unbelievably fast.

On the night stand, he could see that she brought her suitcase filled with the important things she needed during her pregnancy. On the windowsills were beautiful flowers and balloons from Marlene, Denzel, and Barret. Across the bed were a table with 3 chairs, four comfy chairs that looked like he could settle himself into, a HDTV television on the wall in front of Tifa, and a bathroom with a shower, sink, and toilet inside. Everything Tifa could have asked for was here, except for a kitchen. Cloud was glad he chose this place.

Slowly, he lifted a comfy chair from the other side and placed it beside Tifa's bed. He settled himself down and gazed at Tifa's sleeping form. She didn't look like she was pain as she was sleeping peacefully. Cloud was at least relieved that Tifa had some sleep in. But that was the least of his worries. He leaned forward a bit as he clasped his hands together with hers.

"Tifa," he began softly. His voice didn't seem to steer her as she continued to sleep peacefully. Slowly, he reached over her face and gently swiped her bangs that were covering her face. It was then she stirred.

In the middle of her light sleep, Tifa heard his voice calling to her softly. This woke her up the moment she felt a familiar presence. She opened her eyes to see that he was there. "Cloud…" she said weakly as a small smile appeared on her face. "You made it."

Once Cloud saw her awake, he squeezed her hands gently. He simply nodded in response.

"I knew you would," she said. "I guess I was being a bit paranoid…"

Cloud shook his head. He paused for a moment as he looked away from her eyes. He didn't know what to say at first. Slowly, he looked back into her eyes. "I'm sorry…"

Tifa looked him questioningly. "Hmm?"

"For leaving you like that…"

At first, Tifa's smile faltered a bit. But, a bright smile returned to her lips. "You're here, right? That's what matters most."

He wasn't satisfied at all. He needed to explain to her. "But—"

Before they could get a conversation in, the whole AVALANCHE gang came in full of smiles.

"Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! CONGRATS!!!!!!" screamed Yuffie at the top of her lungs as she held a basket full of flowers. Cloud almost felt like his eardrums popped from her sudden screech fest.

"I can't believe this is happening," said Shera with a smile. "I'm so happy for Tifa! Let me know if you need anything."

"So when this sucker's gonna come out? I want it ta meet its uncle!" Cid exclaimed proudly.

"Congratulations," Vincent said. "Nanaki would be here, but he's downstairs. They don't allow animals in the hospital."

"Reeve sent his best regards!" Barret said. "He can't make it today, but he said he'll come tomorrow to see the baby!" Everyone was talking all at once all the while Tifa was shocked to see them all here. She never expected them to come for this special day. She knew how busy they were with their lives. How they managed to come together was something she could not comprehend at the moment. All she knew was that she was happy to see them here to support her.

"We're gonna stay as long as we !# want until the baby's born and party all night an' day!" Cid excitedly yelled amongst the noise.

"Yeah! Party! Party! Party! We haven't had one for a while! Let's do it! Let's do it! I'll crack the Champaign!" Yuffie screamed back as she jumped up and down excitedly. Vincent, otherwise, was trying to mellow her out or consequences might come.

"You can't drink Champaign. This is a hospital. You're not even 21 yet…"

"Yeah! So what?! I can do whatever I want! Hey! Wait a minute! You talked to me more than a sentence…!"

"Shh! Be quiet! We're going to get kick out! Tifa needs her rest," Marlene scolded the crew with her tiny voice.

"Are ya gonna join us, Vincent?" asked Barret amongst the yells.

Vincent turned to Barret once he finished calming down Yuffie. "Well—"

"Of course ya gonna come! Ya hafta come or I'll beat the livin' shit outta ya!" Barret said as he placed his arm around Vincent's shoulder.

"Another party?!" asked Denzel exasperatedly.

She watched her friends talk lively to each other. It was then she realized how everyone was able to come on this special day. It was one simple fact. This miracle wouldn't had happened if it weren't for one person. Slowly, her eyes went to Cloud who was observing everything in the background. His eyes met hers in that moment and she gave him a genuine smile that brightened her face. It caught Cloud's breath away the moment he saw that smile.

"Cloud…thank you…"

* * *

**Author's Note: Yes, Cloud returns! I didn't intend to leave Tifa like that. One important thing I want to point out is that healthcare staff should NEVER, NEVER, EVER discuss patients when they're in the hallway, in an elevator, in a public place or even in front of another patient's rooms. They should not discuss is it or mention the patient's name. It is a break of privacy. This is a serious offense and people don't take lightly if you break the rules. The two healthcare staff discussing about a patient in front of Tifa's room was an example of what healthcare staff should not do. **

**Another point I want to point out is the long description with the fetal monitor, IV fluids, and such is what normally pregnant mothers are put on. Again, it varies. It is required that the patient must be placed in the room and be placed on the monitor within 30 minutes. JACHO standards (a company that keeps the hospital in business by surveying the hospital, how they keep themselves clean and safe, and most of all patient safety). It is important to make sure the baby is okay. You may never what might happen within those few minutes. Again, support is definitely a biggy! I'm definitely going to be stressing it in this story.**

**Another thing I want to point out is Cloud proposing to Tifa. Remember, Cloud is a novice when it comes to relationships. Most of his life was spent in a test tube. I mean, transitioning from being 15-16 years old to 21 years old. He definitely missed a chunk of his teenage life, so he never gotten to experience any relationship norms. So, this may explain his awkwardness and his bad timing, even though Cloud is typically late. I decided to have Zack to do the honors and point that fact alone, after all, he is his best friend. I hope you like the little conversation I did with Cloud and Zack. I tried to stay in character for both. For Aerith, I decided to have her talk to Tifa. They're best friends too. And yes, Aerith and Zack are the special guests in this chapter. **

**It's already 1am and I'm already tired. I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes. I'll fix it once my mind refocuses. Please, Please review. It helps keeps me motivated to write. And I also truly want to hear what you think. ^_^ And I would to say thank you for those who did review. I truly appreciate it very much! ^_^ I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. See you next time!**

**-Kuti**


	5. Chapter 5: Okaeri

**Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children **

**Author's note: Just a little forewarning. There may be some mild stuff inappropriate for younger children such as some blood and some uncomfortable things as well. It's not as detailed though. The uncomfortable stuff in more terms in what Mothers face during the labor process. Also, there may be possible OOC among the characters due to the circumstances they are put in this story…I think. I tried my best to have them stay in character. Another little warning: information provided about the laboring process is different for every person. The information provided came from my notes and from my book and what I learned from class. Do not take my word for it. **

**Please read the author's note after reading this story for notes. Enjoy! ****^_^ **

**[o][o][o][o][o][o]**

_**Chapter 4:**_

_**Okaeri**_

**[o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o][o]**

While everyone was in Tifa's room, chatting up a storm and causing unintentional ruckus in the room, AVALANCHE style, Cloud decided to reside in the comfy waiting room to help him relax a bit. He truly was happy to have his friends here to support this special day, but right now, he needed a breather. It was a hectic day and he wanted to clear his mind. He wanted to make sense of things before taking the next step. Of course, he made sure to tell Tifa that he will be in the waiting room for a bit. For some reason, she just smiled brightly and nodded, as if she knew.

He sighed as he leaned against his chair. He couldn't believe he was here; the very hospital that brought anxiety and dread to him. Now, it was the waiting game. If only he knew what to do. He was here for Tifa, but what else could he do other than just stay by her side?

"You can try walking with her," a voice said, causing Cloud to look up. In front of the doorway was Denzel, holding an open book on his right head with a title that read: An Intro to First-Time Fathers through Pregnancy. He sat himself right beside Cloud as he turned to the next page. "It says: by walking with her, it would help distract her from the pain. It is good to walk during the latent stage of pregnancy." He looked at Cloud and smiled again. "I don't know what it means, but walking with her should be okay."

Cloud's face softened as he rubbed Denzel's already messy mop. "So…you knew," he said.

He nodded. "You always locked yourself in your office. Tifa always wondered what you've been doing in that office..." Both were silent for a moment, watching some staff members walking by the waiting room's open door. They could hear the distant sounds of the IV Pumps and the sounds of baby's heartbeat.

"You're worried, aren't you Cloud?" Denzel asked. Cloud heaved a sigh as he kneeled against his knees, his arms supporting him.

"Hm. You're also perceptive. Just like Tifa and Marlene."

"I learned from you too," Denzel added with a grin. "I learn from the best."

Cloud gave a proud smile at that.

Denzel turned his attention back to the door. "You're always like this when you think that someone is going die," the boy spoke. "You were like this when I had Geostigma…"

Cloud's eyes widened a bit. Come to think of it, he was like this when Denzel had Geostigma. He always stayed up all night, looking through all these medical textbooks, trying to find a cure for this disease. Countless times, he ran into dead ends. There was no cure or managed treatments for Geostigma. When he attained it, he knew it would be the end. But, from what he learned from those two days, he shouldn't give up. He should keep trying.

His past experience applies to this and he was trying his best to find any means to help Tifa through this pregnancy. Now, he truly regretted not going to the ___Lamaze_ classes with Tifa in the past.

"I don't know what to do either," Denzel said sadly. "The only thing I could do for Tifa was carry her things. I didn't know what else to do."

Cloud ruffled his head. "You did a lot of things today, Denzel. You did well when I was out. I'm proud of you for that." Denzel smiled brightly, enjoying the little praise from his role model.

"This time, I won't leave you guys alone. Let's work together…as a family…"

Denzel couldn't agree more.

* * *

The commotion finally died down as the AVALANCHE crew decided to grab some needed food from the cafeteria after the long journey. They were also mindful that both Cloud and Tifa need to be alone for a while. So they went off.

The entire time her friends were there, Tifa was distracted enough to not notice the intense pains from her contractions. But with her friends gone, she felt it again. Tifa inhaled and exhaled as she tried to settle her contractions. In that moment of pain, she felt Cloud hold on to her free hand as he returned from his little break. This calmed her a bit, feeling the warmth of his hand.

"T-they're too much to handle, huh?" Tifa asked as she settled herself into her pillows. He only nodded in response, his eyes looking elsewhere. She noticed the faraway look in his eyes. This worried her.

"Cloud…?"

Cloud looked at her.

"_Tell her how you feel…you owe it to her, you know. Especially since she's pregnant. And you know how pregnant women are, Chocobo head."_

He could hear Zack's advice in his head as he replayed his conversation with him. Cloud knew he wasn't really supportive during the past 2 months. He felt bad and could only do little things for her. But, he had a lot of things in his mind. He continued to drag on his thoughts.

"Are you brooding again?"

Brooding? Cloud gave a small smile, remembering Tifa giving him that speech a while back when he was about to run away again. Slowly, he sat himself back into his seat next to Tifa and rubbed her hand. Carefully, he was gathering some thoughts into his mind, trying to organize every thought he had.

"Tifa…" he began as he looked deeply into her eyes. She cocked her head questioningly, waiting patiently for him to answer.

"I…" He looked at his hands as he continued to rub her hand comfortably. "Sorry…I wasn't much help…"

"Cloud, you've been a lot of help," Tifa interjected.

"But…I should of been there when you went to the doctor each week. I should have been with you in those…Lamaze classes. It's just…"

He sighed. This was definitely tough for him to express his emotions. But he had to move pass this. It was now or never to tell her what was really going on through his mind.

"There is something I should of told you..."

He closed his eyes. "I had a dream that started 2 months ago. I had a dream of you and our baby…dying from some unknown cause. You were on this bed. You didn't wake up when I called you or held your hand. You didn't open your eyes when I kissed you. The only thing I saw was that smile you always had. The doctor came in then and told me about you. He also told me our baby did not make it as well. He said you had a difficult birth…"

He stopped his motion on Tifa's hand and held it fervently in his. He could remember clearly the smile Tifa gave him in that dream. It was very similar to the way Aerith smiled before she passed away. It scared him to death.

"I felt…horrible. The only thing I did was stand there and watch you both die. I-I couldn't protect the precious people left in my life. I felt that maybe…I wasn't worthy to be the father of our child. I felt that I wasn't worthy to be with you, Tifa."

Tifa watched him express every emotion he had that was bottled up inside. She knew that once he comes out into the open, he will let it all out. Tifa slowly reached for Cloud with her free hand and placed his head against her chest. The moment he felt her warmth, Cloud instantly relaxed as he wrapped his free arm around Tifa's waist gently. "Cloud, just because of that dream doesn't mean you're not capable of raising our child or protecting me. It's just a dream. You've raised Denzel and Marlene well. You've done a wonderful job. You were always there for us, even though you were busy with work. You helped around the bar and even protect me from flirty guys when I wasn't capable of fighting. The little things you've done are all I could ask for."

It was comforting to hear Tifa say such things. Knowing that he was the major impact of their lives was more than enough to make him feel confidant to go through this.

"I can't risk losing you or our child. I can't lose you both…"

"And you won't. You're here now."

For a moment, a comfortable silence fell between them. She looked down at her blankets as she thought about something. "There is one thing I want you to do, Cloud." She looked lovingly and determinedly into his eyes when he looked into hers. "Don't leave my side…"

That one request made him smile as he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. It was the first time Cloud showed some display of affection in a public area. It made her happy knowing Cloud would go to any lengths to protect and love her. "Ah..."

* * *

Night fell fairly quickly as colors of the afternoon filtered Tifa's hospital room. Cloud watched the colors slowly turn dark as he sat on Tifa's bed, holding Tifa in his arms as she slept the pain away. Since the conversation, Cloud never left her side, even now as the pain of her contractions began to increase. He did everything he could. He supported her when she was walking down the halls, he talked to her and tried his best to get rid of her pain, and he made sure that she was comfortable. He gave her ice chips to keep her hydrated and cool. He wiped away the sweat from her brow.

Her pain had grown as time passed by. It was growing ten-folds now. It was quickly driving Tifa crazy. It was making it harder for her to sleep. She dealt with a lot more pain in the past, but never experienced a pain like this. The nurse explained to them that this was normal as the muscles were stretching to reach that 10 cm opening for the baby to come out. But it may take a while before she reaches the next stage since this was her first child and mothers with their first child usually take longer.

"Cloud…" she muttered helplessly. Cloud only held her closer when he heard her mutter his name in pain.

"_What should I do?" _Cloud thought as he looked at Tifa's pain-stricken face. _"Is there something I could do to make things easier for her?" _

"_Try talking to her…talk to her about your baby…talk about anything happy…"_

Cloud's eyes snapped open as he heard that all too familiar voice. _"Aerith…"_

"_Sometimes I wonder if you are the right guy for Tifa. You're so dense sometimes…"_

Why was everyone telling him he was dense today? Cloud sighed. _"But…this is something…I'd never experience…"_

"_This is normal for every pregnant women. There's nothing much you can do Cloud but give her support. She feels a lot better right now since you're with her. You did more than enough. Now, let Tifa handle it from here. I think it's about time you talk to her about your child. You haven't talked to her about it that much you know…"_

Aerith was right. He hadn't asked a lot about the baby during the passing 8.5 months. If this was a way to lower Tifa's pain, then it shouldn't be a problem. "Tifa," he called with a gentle voice. "Is our baby a boy or a girl…?"

A look of surprised passed through Tifa's eyes as she looked at him. "C-cloud…? Why are you asking…?"

A curious look passed through Tifa's face as she watched Cloud looked away, scratching the back of his head. He had a look that looked as if he was a kid who stole the cookie from a cookie. Clearly, he was ashamed to ask and felt like he wasn't worthy knowing about the baby since he hadn't asked about him or her. Because of that dream he had, it halted him from asking about the baby. Most likely he was trying to not get to know the baby as he feared that if he gets attached, it would devastate him if the baby did not survive. Tifa understood. There was no shame in asking.

A loving smile passed through her features as she gently placed her hand above her swollen belly. "I don't know the gender of the baby," she started, causing Cloud to look at her. "I wanted to be a surprise for us once he or she was born. I wanted both of us to know together." She began rubbing her belly, her eyes visibly soften. "When he or she wakes up, it starts kicking early in the morning, just like you. It loves it when I sing to it each time. It kicks me harder when it doesn't eat. It's honest…just like you."

She sighed as she let her eyes gaze towards the ceiling. "But each time I think about him or her in my arms, I…I don't know. It's just this weird feeling." She grasped Cloud's hands. "I get scared sometimes too. Just before you came here, I overheard a conversation were one mother lost her baby during birth. I'm scared that everything may not go right…"

"I'll make sure everything goes all right," Cloud said. "I'll make sure the doctor is doing it right…"

Tifa smiled. "Cloud…" Before she could say anything else, an intense pain suddenly came and she moaned loudly.

"Tifa!" He looked at the contraction machine to see that her contractions are coming closer together. The baby's heart rate still remained on the 130-140 marker, but was going a little down at the end of each contraction. Cloud's eyes narrowed in determination. "Tifa, can hear me? Squeeze my hand if you do." She squeezed his hand. Cloud had to fight off his own yelling as she was holding his hand too tightly. It almost felt as if his hand was breaking.

"Okay, okay…remember to breath…breath…" Tifa immediately heard what he said and took in a deep breath. After letting it out slowly, she began to breath in and out, increasing the rhythm during the intense pain, and took a cleansing breath when it ended. Tifa sighed a bit after that and smiled at Cloud.

"Even if you didn't go to the Lamaze classes, you seem like you know what to do. I didn't know you knew when to breath during contractions…"

Cloud instantly looked away, embarrassed.

The nurse came in right then. She looked at the fetal monitor, noting how frequent the sloppy hills were appearing at the bottom of the screen. "The contractions are definitely increasing." She looked at the fetal heart rate. "Okay, Tifa, I want you to lie on your left side. This way, it helps prevent blockage of blood to the baby, helps with the movement of the baby and give it proper oxygenation." The nurse looked at heart rate again to see it improve. "Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to need to see how far the dilation came." From the nurse's pocket, she took a sterile glove packet that had only one glove. She put it on with her dominant hand and began to spread her legs apart.

Cloud's eyes widened and immediately covered Tifa with a blanket. "W-wait. What are you doing?" he asked in an assertive voice.

"I'm going to check inside to see if there any changes."

"C-changes?! So you're going down there to check if there are changes?! Isn't there another way instead of invading her privacy like that?!" By now, he was blushing.

Tifa sighed. Cloud was being dense again. Then again, when it comes to her, he was overprotective.

"I have to do a vaginal exam. I need to know how far she is opened, her effacement levels, the station of the baby's head to see if it's crowning or not…you know the nitty gritty stuff," she said. The nurse began pull the blanket again, but Cloud stopped her. Wasn't putting her finger in there invasive?

"Then, what about that ultrasound instead?"

"It does help determine the baby's position and show how well her vagina and cervix is for birthing but, I need to know how her inside is doing…"

"Then…x-ray…"

"And risk her and the baby's health? You know radiation do to your cells without proper protection, especially to your reproductive system. It may take a while too and very inconvenient at this point."

"CAT scan?"

"Preferably used for checking abnormalities with the organs like the brain if a patient suffered from a stroke."

"Then I should do it."

"I understand that you don't approve of this, but please let me handle this. I won't hurt her. Are you even aware what you looking for?"

"Yes!" For a moment, Cloud paused. He scratched his head and looked at the nurse. He shrugged his shoulders.

Tifa sighed. "Cloud! Let her do her job!"

Cloud backed away. He still didn't like it. Joyce sighed as she inwardly laughed with Tifa. Husbands were nervous wrecks, especially insecure men like Cloud. Cloud winced a bit when Joyce did what she intended to do. After a minute or so, she finished up and took her sterile glove off and dumped it in the trash. She was about to make Tifa comfortable when she noticed liquid coming out. This alerted the nurse. "You're water just broke..." The nurse took out a box of strips from her pocket. Donning some gloves, she grabbed some samples of the liquid. The strip turned blue instantly. "It looks like amniotic fluid."

"What's happening?" asked Cloud curiously.

"Nothing's bad. She's progressing pretty well. She's already 6 cm."

"6 cm?! How can you tell!?!"

"How wide the opening is with my fingers. I can feel it around my finger. One finger can mean-"

Cloud immediately shook his head. He didn't want to know at all.

The nurse simply laughed. "Anyways, her membranes ruptured, or in more common terms, her water broke. The baby will be descending to the opening in a rapid pace now. With the aminotic fluid decreasing in the womb, the baby might be at risk for compressed umbilical cord since there's no fluid to support it. So I made sure the umbilical cord is not being compressed and made sure the baby has the right representation. I may need to put an internal monitor now since her membranes ruptured."

"Internal…"

"A probe that is placed on the baby's head. It measures the heart rate accurately."

"A probe?" Cloud's mind was reeling. "No!"

"Don't worry. The baby won't be harmed. Trust me." Cloud looked into the nurse's eyes to see the sincerity in them. With a sigh, Cloud sat himself back down to his seat.

"Do as you like…"

The nurse nodded. After putting that in, she started cleaning up. As she finished cleaning up, she noted the look on Tifa's face. "You seem tense, would like some pain medications? From here on out, you will feel intense pain. All I can give you right now is pain medication. I can also enlist you to an epidural if you want…"

Cloud was still trying to recover from what he'd seen. "Do as you like," he repeated. He had no clue what an epidural was but whatever the nurse said may be beneficiary to Tifa. The nurse wasn't sure as she looked at Tifa. Tifa simply shrugged her shoulders and gave the nurse permission to do what she needs to do.

For a few minutes, after the nurse left, Cloud sat by Tifa, looking at the door, wondering what will happen next. Then, he heard the sounds of a cart coming towards their room. Tifa's nurse came in and a man with a green bandana on his head and wearing green scrubs came in, wheeling a cart covered with a sterile blue drape with a box that said, "Epidural Starter Kit."

Cloud instantly stood up protectively. "This is good news, Tifa. This is our Anesthesiologist, Doctor Poke and he's free to do your Epidural," the nurse said with a smile.

"Good day everyone! Does anyone need a poke today?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. He gave him his most devastating glare, Cloud-style, but it didn't seem to affect Anesthesiologist. "What does that suppose to mean?!"

Tifa sighed. Cloud couldn't even tell whether the guy was telling the truth or when he was joking.

"Ha ha! So this must be one of those husbands or boyfriends. No, no I'm just joking. As you can see my name's Doctor Poke. I like to make jokes about my last name because I actually poke needles into people's bodies."

Cloud wasn't at ease at all. He gave the doctor a cold stare. "Can't take a joke huh?" the doctor asked. "Well, I understand. This is a tense moment after all."

"_Way to go to break it," _thought Cloud sarcastically.

"So, what is this Epidural that Joyce was talking about," Tifa inquired, referring to her nurse who was present.

"Ah! An Epidural! An Epidural is basically for your pain." He opened the container and Cloud peered in to see a huge needle syringe, a huge needle, a small tubing, and some smaller needles with liquid in them. There was a blue cover, some swabs, an iodine solution he had no idea what was for, and some sterile gloves. He was suddenly feeling queasy.

"We're putting this little thing here into your spine, into the Epidural space, around the lower back area," he began as he showed the big needled to them. Cloud was beginning to sweat.

"What it does is that it basically numbs the pain from your contractions. It's like an IV placement but a little different…" Doctor Poke reached for the tiny tubing in his little tray. Cloud could barely concentrate as it was as the doctor was explaining it to them. Were they really going to put something like that in Tifa's body? He felt his world about to go black.

While the Doctor was explaining it, Nurse Joyce was observing the surroundings when she noted the pale look on Cloud's face. "Umm…Doctor…I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I think it's not the best for her right now…"

"Ah, really? Why?"

Joyce scooted a chair under Cloud's bottom. Making sure it was steady and safe, she got in front of Cloud and gently pushed him back. Cloud instantly fell onto the chair like a rag doll.

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled. "Joyce! W-what happened?!"

"For one, Doctor, you're not using the sterile gloves, so the equipment is basically contaminated." The Doctor looked at himself to see that he was indeed contaminating the equipment. He immediately put it down.

"And I don't think Tifa needs it right now. I think she's able to tolerate it, right?" Joyce asked, which Tifa nodded since now she knows what an Epidural is.

"Oh, okay then. Just let me know when you change your mind." With that, he left with his cart.

"I hate it when males are here, watching an Epidural," Joyce said. "This always happens, you know. That's why I don't like husbands or boyfriends there when they watch an epidural. They watch and forget to breath and end up like him."

Tifa nodded her head. She could see why.

"But, it makes me wonder why Cloud suddenly fell like that when we didn't do anything?"

Tifa had an answer for that. "Well, he isn't too fond of needles. He had a very traumatic experience with hospitals when he was young. He was…always sick a lot. So, he gets paranoid when either Marlene, Denzel, or me go to the hospital. It's not his cup of tea." While the nurse nodded in understanding, she didn't want to give in the details of Cloud's past. After all, Joyce might freak out that the actual hospital stay was a test tube in a makeshift laboratory in Shinra Manor where there was a lot of taboo things done onto Cloud, thanks to Professor Hojo.

"Oh…" she heard a groan and Cloud came to.

"Cloud? Are you alright?" Tifa asked.

Cloud put a hand on his aching head. "Please tell me he didn't…"

"No, he didn't…"

"Tifa…don't do the Epidural."

"Of course, I won't…"

"Especially from Dr. Poke." He looked at Tifa momentarily before turning away embarrassingly. "Do me a favor?"

"Sure…"

"Don't tell anyone I fainted…"

* * *

Cloud's senses immediately turned on during his sleep. Instinctively, he looked at Tifa to see her withering in pain. "Tifa…"

Tifa's face was contorted in pain. The once happy smile that was displayed several hours ago was no longer there. She gave a small cry as she winced. Cloud looked at the monitor to see that the sloppy hills were only a several boxes away from each other. She was sweating profusely as she clenched her bed sheets. She was breathing rapidly as she tried to use the breathing techniques to help her and the baby. She looked up at the sound of his voice.

"Cloud…"

He nodded his head and immediately pressed the nursing call button. "_Yes, can I help you?" _one of the nurses asked through the intercom.

"Please…call…Joyce," Tifa said pleadingly. "I…think…it's time…"

"_I'll be sure to notify immediately. Hang in there." _Within minutes, Joyce came in.

"Okay, Tifa, how would you describe your pain?" she asked as she put on another sterile glove, which made Cloud a little bit uneasy.

"Excruciating," she said. "Also, I feel like…I'm pushing down…"

Joyce immediately looked at Tifa. "10 centimeters," Joyce said. "I'm going to call the doctor. It's time."

Both Tifa and Cloud sighed a huge relief after hearing such great news. After hours and hours of waiting, it has finally come. Cloud sat back on his seat, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Cloud…I'm not sure if I can do this," Tifa suddenly said, causing him to look up. "I-It's too much for me handle…it's too much…"

Cloud was literally surprised. Why did she suddenly change? "Tifa…"

Tears started to swell in her eyes. "Can I do this? Can I really do this? I'm scared…what happens if…if…"

_"Support her, Cloud. She needs you more than anything right now. Remember this is normal."_

Cloud held her hand. "You will do great Tifa. Don't be scared. Just take you time, don't stress yourself…"

"Please hurry! I want to get this over with!" she yelled, surprising Cloud. She felt like she was losing control of the whole situation. She never felt such excruciating pain in her entire life. "Cloud…please… get the doctor…" She couldn't talk after that as she was gasping in pain.

The doctor finally came in after Tifa's nurse continuously called him to come stat. Tifa's sudden mood swings was a surprise to Cloud, but Joyce explained it to him that it was normal. People's moods change when they were pain. Usually, the sudden aggression in their behavior was mostly vented out to the supporting person. This did not settle onto Cloud's mind and made him a bit uneasy. Tifa was breathing in and out as she felt another wave of contractions.

"Okay, Tifa, let's get the show on the road," the doctor said after putting the appropriate sterile gear for the birth.

"Finally!" Tifa retorted after going through another contraction. "I couldn't take it anymore! I can't believe I'm going through this! Cloud! I can't believe you're putting me through all this! Don't come near me ever again! Did you know it's his fault?!"

By his fault, that meant Cloud. "But, Tifa…!"

"Don't even say a word, Strife!" Tifa yelled angrily. "I don't even want to hear about whatever problems you have! Can't you see I'm in pain here?! Can't you be a little more useful?!"

Cloud sighed and knew he had to get out for a bit to relax his already stressed out mind. Without another word from his part, he started out the door.

"No…wait…Cloud! Don't go!" Tifa cried, her voice suddenly changing from anger to desperate. Cloud slowly turned around, ready to get hit whatever emotion she had. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I mean…you are being useful. It's just…well…I don't know what's wrong with me." Tifa began to cry. "I'm not sure what to do. Why am I being such an emotional wreck?"

Cloud voluntarily held onto Tifa's clenched hand. "You're not an emotional wreck," he reassured, using his free hand to stroke the top of her hand. "I'm supposed to be the emotional wreck here." This earned a little laugh from Tifa. "Tifa…be the strong girl I know."

Even though it was a short sentence from Cloud, this simple phrase slightly elevated Tifa a bit, momentarily making her forget the pain. "Look, I know you are a lot of pain. And you feel as if you can't do this. But, I know you can do this, Tifa. Remember, we are having our first child together in…our family…"

"Our…child…family…" Tifa said dazedly.

Cloud nodded. "I'll be with you every step. I won't leave your side. I promise."

"Cloud…" She gazed into his eyes that were somehow glowing. His expression showed softness and encouragement; the only expressions he only showed to her. Her tired eyes soon regained the determination. She nodded her head. "Yes…I can do this…" She held onto Cloud's hand as she looked at her doctor and nurse.

Both the doctor and nurse watched the entire exchange between the two and were amazed by the sudden change in Tifa's personality the moment Cloud talked to her. They balance each other out completely. This kind of couple was rare among all the people they met. They were completely in synch with each other, knowing what they truly needed.

The doctor nodded his head. "All right, I'll let you know when to start pushing."

"Be sure to get some rest in between pushing," Joyce advised. "We don't put further complications on you. If you push without resting, your body will not be able to handle such stress and would ultimately collapse. It would also increase the chances to put trauma on your body." Tifa nodded her head. "Cloud will help relay the message to you on your progress."

"Okay, Tifa, here comes another contraction. I want you to push as possibly as you could," the doctor said. He checked the monitor once more. "Alright, push!"

Tifa clasped onto Cloud's hand tightly and immediately started pushing, screaming painfully as she felt the pain. Cloud winced at how tight she held his hand, but ignored the pain as he helped her through it, whispering words of comfort. The process kept repeating self after that.

"A little bit more," the doctor spoke.

Cloud looked at the clock to find it had been almost 2 hours since Tifa began to push. Does it really take that long for the baby to come out?

Tifa rested her head against his after pushing as far as she could. She took this time to rest. Cloud wiped the sweat from her brow from a clean napkin he grabbed from the nightstand. Tifa sighed a bit in relief, giving Cloud confirmation he was appreciated for doing such little things.

"Okay, Tifa, we'll push on this one," the doctor said after a few minutes. "All right, push!"

Tifa went on that cue and pushed all she could. Cloud watched where the doctor was, eyeing curiously on what to expect to come out. "I see the head!" Joyce said excitedly. She went over to the birthing warmer and grabbed a bulb syringe, ready to suction the baby's mouth and nose. Cloud's eyes widened when he saw the forehead of their child. He felt his whole entire body begin to quiver.

"Tifa, just one more push for me! I got the head in my hands."

"The last spurt, Tifa," Cloud said weakly from his quivering state. "You can do this…the doctor is supporting our child's head."

Tifa nodded her head and pushed on cue. Right then, as Cloud watched, the baby came out. Cloud's eyes widened as a gush of fluid and blood came out. Joyce immediately suctioned the mouth first and nose. With its first breath, the baby gave a loud cry.

Tifa's body instantly relaxed after giving that one last push. When she heard her baby's first cry, she felt like crying out of happiness. "Cloud! Our child!" Tifa said happily as she turned to look at him. Her smile slightly dwindled when she looked at Cloud's shocked face. He looked a bit pale. "Cloud?"

After the doctor checked the cord and placenta, he grabbed the umbilical cord and looked at Cloud with a smile. "Would you like to do the honors and cut the cord, Cloud?"

Complying, Cloud grabbed a sterile scissors from Joyce and placed it on the spot where the doctor recommended cutting. With one snap, the cord was cut. The nurses there clapped as the doctor immediately clamped the cord, indicating the end of the baby's life in the womb and the beginning of the baby's life in the outside world. As the baby continued to cry and was placed under the warmer for further inspection, Cloud wobbled his way to the door.

Tifa knew that look too well. "Oh no…"

* * *

The moment they heard Tifa was about to give birth to her first child, the gang huddled in front of the door, waiting patiently for someone to come out. They heard her cries of pain as she went through the birthing process. Shera, who had her first child a few months ago, knew too well of Tifa's experience. She wanted to help, but knew that Cloud was the one to give her the support she needed.

"Daddy," Marlene said meekly as she looked at her father.

"Yes, darlin'."

"If the stork is coming to give her the baby, why is Tifa getting hurt?"

That earned a shocked look from everyone, Barret's face being the most shocked out of all of them.

"The stork is delivering the baby, right? So why does it hurt?"

Yuffie and Cid began to snicker. This left Barret in an unusual situation. Everyone's eyes were on him.

"Well! Umm…you see…darlin'…well…i-it's hard ta explain. Umm…"

Before embarrassing himself even further, the screams suddenly seized and the door to the room opened. Cloud came out with a ghostly look on his face.

"Ah! Spike! Great timin'!" Barret immediately as he walked up to him. "Ya have no idea you saved me from embarrassin' myself!"

"So! So! So! Cloud! What's up? Is Tifa okay?" asked Yuffie in her usual hyper state. "Is the baby okay? Is it okay to see her? C'mon ya stupid jerk! Why don'cha answer huh?!?"

"Hey, hey! Give the guy some space, youngster!" Cid scolded.

"Who you callin' youngster, you old geezer?!" Yuffie retaliated.

"Old Geezer?! Why I oughta…!?"

"Do I have a little sister or little brother?" asked Denzel amongst the now talking crowd, interrupting another verbal fight against Yuffie and Cid.

"Baby…came…Tifa…" Everyone was silent the moment Cloud spoke up.

"Cloud? Are ya okay?" asked Barret curiously.

"Tif…is…"

Shera and Cid's eyes both widened knowingly. Cid slapped his hand on his forehead. "Oh no."

"Lot's….of blood…came…out…"

Before a proper answer was said, Cloud's eyes suddenly closed and his body fell forward.

"Wah!! Cloud!"

Cloud Strife had fainted…again.

* * *

_"Cloud…Cloud…! It's time to wake up…" _Cloud heard a gently voice in his head. _"It's time to meet your child. Tifa's waiting for you…"_

_"_Tifa…" he whispered unconsciously.

"_Ha, ha, ha! I can't believe he fainted! To think he slaughtered sees blood every day from hacking the life out of those creepy monsters. Then we see him faint after seeing blood coming out of--!" _The sentence was abruptly cut off by the sound of a slap. "_Alright, alright, sorry, I'll stop. Sheesh, I'm trying to wake him up, you know."_

_"Cloud…wake up before Yuffie will do something you'll regret…"_

* * *

Cloud regained consciousness when he suddenly smelt something moldy in front of his nose. Cautiously, he opened his eyes to find a green, dirty sock barely a few inches away from his nose. Immediately, Cloud rose up and glared at the person who dared to put that disgusting thing in front of him. Yuffie snickered as she stood up straight, holding the sock with teasers.'

"Ha! I knew that will work!" Yuffie said proudly as she stuck the sock into the biohazard trash bin. "To think that Denzel's dirty sock I found under the steps would help."

"Umm…Cloud…please don't tell Tifa I hid my dirty socks behind the steps," Denzel said pleadingly. "I only did that because she gets mad at me for dirtying my socks every day."

Cloud was still trying to regain what he lost from his mind. Everyone was gathered around him.

"What happened?" he asked, clasping his forehead.

"You've been K.O.'d for a few minutes," Barret said as he helped Cloud to his feet. "Gotta say, never saw you fainted like that. Pretty funny if ya ask me."

Cloud rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out where his mind was before fainting in front of everyone. With the noise level around him, it was pretty hard for him to find out why.

"You said something in the lines of 'Baby,' 'Tifa,' and 'Lot's of blood'," Vincent said through the noise. Cloud looked at Vincent for a moment, trying to absorb what Vincent had said. Then, it him all at once. Cloud's eyes went over to Tifa's door that was now closed. Fear went through him. Why was the door shut? Did something happen to her or his baby?

"Tifa!" Cloud called. "Tifa…is she…? Is our baby…?" Images of his dream flashed before his eyes. He hoped to God that this did not come true.

"Both of them are doin' fine, Chocobo brain," Cid said. "Man, you were worse than me when my precious little girl was born."

Shera only dreaded his reaction. "He would use his potty mouth all the time. He was making the doctor and nurse angry..."

"Whatever! At least the job was done! Our baby was born! So 'nough of that!" Cid then looked at Cloud. "Anyways, go. Tifa's waiting for ya."

"She won't let us see until you see. Geez, you are a troublesome guy," Yuffie said, crossing her arms. "And hurry your arse over there! I wanna see the baby too!"

Cloud only nodded his head. Slowly, he opened the door. The room was slightly dim. The only well lit area was the light above Tifa's bed. The place was clean as he first saw it. However, the monitor was not on and there was no sound of a fast heartbeat. Close to the bed was the baby warmer, which was still on. His eyes gazed to the form on the bed. Tifa sat there, her eyes peering down at a bundle wrapped in a light blue blanket. Her upper body was slightly exposed as the bundle was laid there for extra warmth. Right then, Cloud was captivated by the way Tifa looked, holding the special life in her arms.

_"Cloud. Congratulations…"_

Tifa's mesmerized eyes soon broke her gaze away from the bundle into Cloud's glowing eyes. Although his lips were slightly tight, his glowing eyes were soft and filled with happiness. Tifa smiled genuinely as she motioned him to come closer. "You're finally up. Are you okay?" she asked softly as Cloud sat on the bed.

Cloud only nodded his head bashfully.

"Joyce said it was normal for first-time father's to act like that," Tifa said with a smile. "And to think the great Cloud Strife would faint over seeing blood."

"I-it's not that! J-just…the fact seeing something coming out of you…is well-" Cloud couldn't finish. He was too embarrassed to say anything more. Tifa only giggled, trying to tone herself down.

Suddenly, a gurgle was heard between them. Looking down at the bundle between them, Cloud eyed the baby curiously. The look in Cloud's eyes made Tifa smile. "Cloud, hold out your arms."

Cloud did as he was told as he slowly extended his arms to Tifa as if he were to hug her. Tifa looked at their baby for a moment and gently placed the bundle into his arms.

"W-wait, Tifa. I'm not sure…"

Right then, instincts came in and he cradled the baby in his arms. Tifa repositioned his arms to where he could see the baby's face in front of him. Slowly, the baby's eyes opened and revealed the same eyes as his. Cloud's eyes widened when the baby looked at him curiously. Slowly, the baby's eyes closed again and a knowing smile appeared on the baby's lips. This made Cloud smile genuinely. Just as he was hoping for; his baby's smile was just like Tifa's. He looked at Tifa to see her smiling. "See, you're doing fine," she reassured as she leaned her head against Cloud's shoulder tiredly. Quietly, the two new parents gazed lovingly at their new addition to their growing family. They watched the baby sleep in Cloud's arm comfortingly as Cloud began to rock the baby to sleep. Cloud averted his eyes to Tifa who had a gentle, motherly look in her eyes. Slowly, Cloud leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

They returned to look at their baby and to see it coo a bit, as if it was dreaming.

It was then Cloud placed a genuine smile on his lips. "_Okaeri_…"

* * *

**Author's Note 2: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! Also, I want to extend my thanks to those who added this to their favorite list or alerts. I'm so happy to see that everyone likes this story. I decided to call this chapter, "Okaeri," or Welcome Home because…well…you'll see. I wanted to use Welcome Home, but decided to use the Japanese language just add something to it. I'm sorry for the long chapter. I know it's brutal. But I wanted to add in a lot of things since this is the climax of the story. So, I had some trouble with this chapter. I did a lot of major cutting. I'll probably come back to this story to revise this chapter once I have time. I'm sorry if the characters seem a bit OOC, but you know how some situations changes people when it comes to pain, stressful situations, and such. Cloud's fainting situation actually did happen to me when I was watching an epidural. The husband seemed so concentrated on the Epidural procedure that he fainted right in the room. My nurse says it's typical for some men to faint like that because they forget to breath. She described another experience too when she noticed one of her other patient's husband was about faint after the baby was born. I just wanted to add this in just for fun. It's so unlike Cloud, but you know, this is his first time dealing with this kind of experience, and I wanted to see him faint, you know, break down the cool, collected Cloud a little bit. Now for some information that you're all curious about for this chapter: **

_**There are 3 stages of labor: the first stage is divided further into categories. The first category is the Latent Stage. There physiologic changes within the body. There will be a beginning of regular, mild contractions that will gradually increase in intensity and frequency. Effacement is basically your cervix walls thinning out to provide easy access for the baby to go through. Dilation will occur and will stretch at least 0-3cm. During this stage, the pregnant women will feel relief that labor begun and very excited to have this baby. There is some anxiety during this time. Typically, no medications are given at this stage because it may slow the process of labor down and may put some complications to the child. Usually non-pharmacological ways to deal with pain are usually encouraged such as talking with someone, walking, using the exercise ball by moving your hips back and forth to help with the pain.**_

_**The second category is the Active Phase. This is when contractions begin to increase in intensity, frequency, and duration, effacement of cervix is completed (usually labeled as 100%), dilation is 4-7 cm and fetus begins to descends to pelvis. Discomfort will begin to increase. The mother will feel increase anxiety, feels helpless, and less sociable as the mother is more concentrated on the pain. During this time, to comfort the mother with the pain, nurses can distribute pain medication at this time. Normally, nurses do not provide medication during the Latent Phase because it may slow down the labor process. Nurses in this stage will assess vital signs, cervical dilation, effacement, fetal monitor, bladder fullness. They make sure that the needs of the mother is met. **_

_**The last category of the First Stage is the Transition Stage. Contractions continue to increase in intensity, duration, frequency, cervix dilates from 8-10cm, bloody show will appear due to completion of dilation, fetus will descend rapidly into the birth passage. The mother may experience rectal pressure (feeling as if you need to go to the bathroom), or nausea or vomiting. Mother will have increased anxiety, will be irritable, will need the support of the significant other, family member, or nurse at bedside, and feel eager to complete this birth experience. Mother will feel tired, so it is important to support them (like how I demonstrated with Cloud and Tifa), important to let them the progress of the birth, mother may feel restless, must encourage them to keep going, help with breathing techniques, and mother may try to convince the nurse to give pain medications. Pain medication is not given at this stage because it may affect the baby's respiratory status. Please be advise that it varies from person to person. So sometimes, it does not go smoothly. **_

_**The Second Stage comes in with dilation of the cervix and ends with the birth of the infant. This is where the woman begins to push. At this time, the mother may feel a sense of purpose, but also feel helpless, frightened, and irritable. **_

_**Third Stage comes in with the birth of the baby and ends with the delivery of the placenta. This when the mother feels relief as the baby is born and worry more of the welfare of the infant than anything else. At this time, the baby is taken in for observation, placed under the warmer, suction mouth and nose, making sure the baby is breathing right. Once the initial assessment of the baby is done, the baby is given to the mother to establish bonding. Skin-to-skin helps. But it really depends on the hospital. Some do the assessment in the room while some hospitals do the assessment of the baby in the nursery. In my opinion, I think bonding should establish right away and doing the assessment in the room is better. **_

_**Some little facts I want to add in:**_

_**An epidural is an anesthetic agent that is placed into the epidural space of your spine. The effects of this drug produce little or no feeling to the area from the uterus downward. Basically, you won't feel any pain, but it really depends on your perception. **_

_**Fetal Monitors are monitors that basically monitor the baby's heart beat. There are two types: one is the External Fetal Monitor, with two tranductors, one for the baby and the sound of the heart beat and the other that is placed on the fundus (the very top of the cervix), that measures the contractions. An Internal Fetal Monitor is a little probe that screws itself onto the baby's head and monitors the heart rate more accurately. It does not affect the baby and usually is placed once the water broke. Accuracy is important for the determination of the baby's heart rate because once that fluid is out, the baby is at risk for umbilical compression (the baby's lifeline) and may not respond well to the contractions. **_

_**Once the baby is removed, the baby is suctioned mouth first then nose to prevent choking of any contents in the mouth. The first thing the baby will do when he/she is cry. It's dangerous if that baby gives in that first breath and chokes with fluids in the mouth. **_

_**Support. I stress support all the time. Support can really go a long way. **_

**Did I leave anything out? This stuff is strictly from my notes and books, mostly the basics. Remember, it varies from person to person. Not all people experience the same thing. Have any questions? Feel free to ask. I can only give this information. I would get into detail, but it might confuse you more. One thing I want to point out is the laboring process takes a long time. Sometimes it takes 7 hours sometime 24. Again, it really depends. Sometimes you have a first time mother who gives birth within 7 hours. So it's unpredictable. Anyways, I hope this is resourceful. Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story as well as favoriated and put on alert. I'm pleased to see that everyone is enjoying this story. The next chapter will be the epilogue. It's already written up and will be put in tomorrow or the next day. Just one question I would like to ask: what name should I put for the baby? The gender won't be revealed until the epilogue, so I was wondering what kind of name because I ran out of ideas. It can be a boy or girl. I was leaning towards the name Sora for the boy (not any relation to the Sora in Kingdom Hearts, by the way). For the girl's name…can't think of any. My minds so fried from summer school so I can't think straight. Anyways, thanks again! Until next time! ^_^ **


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